Corpse Party: Alternate Fate
by LucisWolf
Summary: Orihara Kyuuto has a problem. He can't completely trust someone, and it's hard for him to relax around people. Until he met the group of seven after entering Kisaragi Academy. Every thing seemed seemed to improve for him, except an occult secret about himself, which slowly unravels when the seven and Kyuuto plunge themselves into danger. Rating may change. First Story.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

Orihara Kyuuto has a problem. He can't completely trust someone, and it's hard for him to relax around people. Until he met the group of seven after entering Kisaragi Academy. Every thing seemed seemed to improve for him, except an occult secret about himself, which slowly unravels when the seven and Kyuuto plunge themselves into danger, supernatural danger.

* * *

_"Mom!" A little boy cried out while shaking his mother's limp body uselessly. "Mom, please! Wake up!" Tears streamed down his soft cheeks as he realized the horrible truth. His mother was dead. Behind the boy, a man stood, smirking as he persistently kept sweeping wads of cash from the table and into his bag. The accountant behind the table, along with everyone else in the bank stared in horror as the dead woman's blood continued flowing relentlessly. They were all frozen in shock. Rage overcame the little boy was he glared up at the thief. The **murderer**. Adrenaline rushed through him as he picked up a fallen pen on the floor. He scowled and lunged into the burglar, only for his tiny figure to be thrown aside. The latter's face slammed into the walls, nearly breaking his nose, but ripped his skin just above his chin. Deciding to frighten him, the adult dropped his sack of cash, and walked towards the small figure leaning on the wall. The man brandished a knife, as he gave the child a threatening glare. He couldn't kill this boy, but he could scar him for life. Pressing the sharp tip of the blade to the lower part of his ear, blood slowly seeped out of the thin flesh and trickled down onto the floor. _

Kyuuto woke up with a start. Sweat covered his forehead, as he panted and gasped heavily. _That nightmare again._ He sighed, getting out of bed, trying to erase that dream from his mind. He glanced at the black gakuran uniform hung neatly on the handle of his closet. _At this rate…_ He clenched his fists. _How am I supposed to get through this?_

It was the beginning of April, and the group of seven consisting of Satoshi, Naomi, Seiko, Ayumi, Mayu, Yoshiki, and Sakutaro from the previous year's 2-9 were still in the same class, with Shishido Yui as their main homeroom teacher.

"Morning, Morishige." Satoshi greeted as he stepped into the classroom. The bespectacled boy looked up from his book, and nodded, smiling. Just as Satoshi began to walk to his table, someone crashed into him from the back, knocking him to the floor. He groaned as he rubbed his sore chin, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out. He could have gotten up, but someone was sitting on him, but more specifically, his butt. Satoshi's face flushed red as he felt the foreign feeling creep up his body.

"S-Seiko!" The person one top of him cried and shoved her friend off of her chest.

"Aww~ Naomi! Don't be such a party-pooper!" Seiko whined, but kept her signature cat grin on her face.

"First off, it's not a party, and second," Another female behind the two crossed her arms, her face lit in an amused smile. "Shinohara, try to keep your hands off Nakashima, especially in public."

"Thank you, Ayumi-san." Naomi sighed, relieved.

"Aye aye, Class rep!" Seiko saluted Ayumi, keeping her firm stance for a few seconds, before marching to her seat. "Good morning, Suzumoto!" She greeted cheerfully as she walked past, raising her hand up in greeting.

"Good morning, Shinohara." Mayu smiled back.

"Kishinuma's late again." Ayumi muttered, exasperated.

* * *

Kyuuto took a deep breath and blew out a long sigh. Inside his designated classroom, 3-9, the teacher, Shishido Yui, was reaching the part where he was supposed to walk in. Upon hearing the magic words, Kyuuto stepped into the room, walking to the middle of the front. Bowing slightly, he introduced himself.

"Name's Orihara Kyuuto. I hope to get you know you guys better." He scowled as a few girls gazed at him as if he was some angel sent from heaven. He turned as looked at his new homeroom teacher, Yui.

"Ops, sorry," she laughed, softening Kyuuto's hard glare. "Orihara, you can seat beside Mochida." A brown haired boy raised his hand as Kyuuto turned back to the class, guiding the new student to his seat next to the teenager. Kyuuto quickly plopped his bag onto the floor, and sat down.

"Hey, my name's Mochida Satoshi. Pleased to meet you." He smiled warmly as he put his hand out front.

"Yeah, same here." Kyuuto finally managed a genuine smile as he shook his new friend's hand firmly.

"I'll introduce you to the rest of my pals during lunch break, so be prepared, okay?" He jokingly warned. Kyuuto nodded, glad to have a polite boy was his friend and classmate.

"Yeah." Kyuuto replied, pulling out his textbooks from his bag, setting them down on the desk gently.

* * *

The dark-haired boy sighed as lunch break finally came. He put the side of his face on his table, his hands spread on either sides of his head. "Ah, Orihara-san?" Satoshi said from his side. "Remember just now when I wanted to introduce you to my group of friends?"

"Ah, yeah, sorry." Kyuuto stood up from his seat. "So, where are these guys?"

"On the rooftop." Satoshi gestured upwards. "Follow me." He jogged outside the class, and waited expectantly for Kyuuto to follow. The latter trotted to Satoshi, and they walked to the end of the hallway, then using the stairs to go up to the top floor. A grey door stood as an entrance to the rooftop, light seeping through the small gaps at the frames. "Like I said, prepare yourself. Some of my friends can be a bit…overwhelming." Satoshi laughed softly, rubbing the back of his head as he reached for the doorknob and twisted. Pushing open the door, Satoshi stepped out first, and Kyuuto followed silently. He was greeted with platform, lined with fences at the edges, with benches situated neatly around the area.

"Mochida-kun!" Ayumi waved the boy over from a bench. Satoshi walked towards them, but kept his gaze on Kyuuto.

"Come on," He urged gently, and quickened his pace. Kyuuto followed suit, shoving his hands into his pockets as he did so. He stopped in front of the group of seven, and raised his hand to the back of his neck, embarrassedly introducing himself once more.

"The name's Orihara Kyuuto." He held back a frown, and continued. "Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Orihara. My name's Shinozaki Ayumi." Ayumi bowed slightly.

"My name's Nakashima Naomi." The girl smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Kishinuma Yoshiki." He said curtly, causing Ayumi to give him a glare. "Ah, um, it's nice to meet you." He held his hands up in defense.

"I'm Morishige Sakutaro. This is Suzumoto Mayu." Sakutaro gestured to himself, and then at Mayu, who smiled warmly.

"My name's Shinohara Seiko." Kyuuto held back a smile as he scanned Seiko's face quickly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." Kyuuto grinned, as he folded his arms together. "You're that girl, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Seiko nodded, embarrassment clearly seen on her face.

"Hah?" Satoshi frowned. "What? You two know each other?" Kyuuto nodded.

"She was the one who gave me this." Kyuuto tapped the bruise just above his jawline. "Not that it's a bad thing."

"Seiko, how did you…what did you do?" Naomi asked, surprised.

"There were some gangsters bullying Yuu, and in the midst of protecting him, I got hit on my arm, but I managed to chase them away in the end, but then Orihara appeared, and I thought he was one of those idiots, so I turned around and punched him as hard as I could." Seiko explained reluctantly. "Sorry."

"I said its fine, kid." Kyuuto sighed. "You were just protecting your little brother. I know how it feels to want to protect someone close to you." _Shouldn't have said that._ His breath hitched slightly as he recalled past events. He snorted and gritted his teeth, willing for his tears to keep themselves in.

"…You okay?" Yoshiki asked, worry shown in his eyes. "You look…stressed. Did we say something wrong?"

Kyuuto shook his head and managed a smile. "No, I'm okay." He paused, and continued. "Where do you get your lunch again?" He asked embarrassedly.

"I'll take you there!" Seiko volunteered before anyone could reply. The girl rushed forward, grabbing Kyuuto's hand and pulled him along. "In return, you forgive me!"

"Geh? I thought I–!" Kyuuto cried out as Seiko twisted sharply after passing the rooftop entrance door. "H-hey! Slow down! We'll– Whoa!" Kyuuto shouted. Sounds of someone tumbling down the stairs, followed by a 'thump' pretty much explained everything. Nonetheless, the remaining six rushed to the door to check on the two. Kyuuto was sprawled pitifully on the ground, and Seiko was somehow safe on his back. The latter got off the poor boy, which immediately sat up and clutched his stomach. "Ugh." He groaned. "That's the second time."

"Sorry." Seiko bowed and apologized. "I accidentally shoved you in front of me in mid-air."

"Is that even possible…?" Kyuuto muttered while rubbing his temple painfully. Seiko suddenly gave a serious look, and marched in front of the dark-haired individual.

"Let me see that." She ordered.

"Ah, no, it's fine." Kyuuto smiled and stood up shakily. "Let's just go get my lunch." Kyuuto turned to leave, but Seiko grabbed his arm firmly. "…" The former looked silently at Seiko, scanning her facial expression. _She's really serious._ "…Fine…" He sighed, and lowered his face to Seiko's eye level. She cupped his face with his hands, making him blush slightly at the unfamiliar touch. Fighting the urge to pull back, he instead let his head relax on Seiko's hands. The girl shifted her left hand higher to rub the bruise on the side of Kyuuto's head. Kyuuto flinched at the pain, but kept still.

She stared into Kyuuto's eyes, where she recognized something in them. Within his coal black eyes, she saw herself, both visually and emotionally. She could tell that he'd gone through the same trauma as her, losing their parents.

"You're…" Seiko muttered.

"Eh?"

"So…alone…" She whispered softly. Kyuuto held his breath, surprise shown all over his face. At that moment, the bell, signaling the end of lunch break, sounded, and Kyuuto pulled back, despite knowing his shouldn't have. Seiko, too, seemed to break her emotions instantly. "I'm sorry." She apologized while taking a step back. "You didn't get to eat."

Kyuuto thought for a bit, and then spoke. "It could be covered. Tomorrow afternoon, lunch?" _That was…awkward…_

Seiko nodded. "Sure."

"I'll pick you up at two." Kyuuto replied, smiled, and headed back to class first.

"Did you just accept a _date_?" Ayumi whispered teasingly into Seiko's ear. The latter's face turned red.

"Are you sure that wasn't a move to kiss him?" Naomi chuckled on the other side. While the two teased Seiko, Sakutaro and Yoshiki sighed and headed back to class as well. Satoshi followed, while Mayu tried to get her female friends to go back as well. Meanwhile, Seiko prepared to blackmail her two friends.

Eventually, a month passed, Kyuuto became a part of Satoshi's group. They would spend a lot of time together, which helped keep Kyuuto's spirits up. The latter found himself relaxing a little more than usual whenever he was with the group, and perhaps he somehow felt more at home with Seiko, but it didn't stop him from being constantly alert. He gradually felt a growing attraction for Seiko, but he wasn't the best confessor, so he could only keep to himself at the moment.

The school dismissal bell rang just before the students stood up to greet their subject teacher goodbye. Kyuuto picked up his items and books, neatly placing them into his bag.

"Hey, Orihara," Yoshiki called as the mentioned boy picked up his bag to leave. "You free today?"

"Yeah," Kyuuto nodded. "Why?"

"Was wondering if you'd like to hang out at the mall with Morishige, Satoshi and I."

"Sure." He followed Yoshiki to the class's front entrance, to Sakutaro and Satoshi. "Where are we going, anyways?"

"Don't know. Maybe to the arcade, or watch a good movie." Yoshiki shrugged. "We'll decide once we get there."

"Okay," Satoshi said. "Let's go, then."

At the other side of the class, the four girls, Mayu, Ayumi, Naomi, and Seiko sat in a small square, discussing about the upcoming Kisaragi Culture Festival. Ms. Yui had put them in charge of deciding what to do for the event, due to last year's being a huge success, selling red bean soup.

"Remember when we did the Sachiko Ever After to make sure that we'd always be together? It worked, and now Suzumoto's still with us." Ayumi recalled while spinning her pencil.

"Yep. I'm glad you found it." Naomi nodded. "Anyway, what should we do this year?"

"Hm…because our theme is 'Festival', which is a bit weird, since this _is_ a festival, we have to decide on either game or food stall first." Mayu said thoughtfully.

"I vote food. It was a great success last year, might as well go with it again, right?" Seiko raised a finger up as she said so.

"That does sound good." Ayumi answered and scribbled the information on the piece of paper on her table. "Now, what kind of food?"

"Ooh! Grilled caramel, cotton candy, chocolate bananas and candy apples slash strawberries!" Seiko immediately chirruped.

"Slow down!" Ayumi laughed as she wrote down the suggestions.

"Ah, dangos would be nice. Maybe some shaved ice too?" Naomi said.

"Some _yakisoba_, maybe? Or _takoyaki_?" Mayu leaned over to Ayumi's table, making sure the latter wrote it down.

"We should be able to settle on one of Shinohara's sweets mentioned. Now the main dish." Ayumi tapped the end of her pencil on the words, 'yakisoba'. "How about this?"

"Yeah! It sounds good!" Naomi answered. "Now, we need to set the date to get the ingredients, then the decorations and costumes" The rest of the group nodded. "Lastly, we'd need to set out the roles."

* * *

"Hey, Orihara." Yoshiki began. "Are you sure Shinohara hit you that hard?" Kyuuto nodded, raising his hand to his face, gently moving his fingertips across the small mark.

"Yeah," He replied. "She kinda freaked out and apologized repeatedly." Yoshiki grinned, amused.

"When was that time?" Satoshi asked from behind them.

"About a week or so before I entered Kisaragi." Kyuuto replied. They continued walking silently for a bit, until Sakutaro's phone rang. His face broke into a smile as he saw the caller ID.

"Hello?" He spoke into the phone. He stopped in his tracks to listen to his friend. "Huh. All right then, leave it to me…yeah…bye."

"Who was that?" Yoshiki asked.

"Mayu." The blue-haired boy answered as he pocketed his phone. "She said that since we were going to the mall, she wants us to buy some decorations for the Cultural Festival. She'll be sending me the shopping list right about—." His phone rang as it received a message. "Now."


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, let's see…" Satoshi ran his hand through his brown hair as he looked at the list Sakutaro forwarded to him. "Colored paper, markers, hot glue gun…" He muttered to himself as Kyuuto walked beside him, scanning the area for any of the needed materials. The group of four consisting of Sakutaro, Yoshiki, Satoshi and Kyuuto were split into two groups, together with the divided shopping list.

"Found some!" Kyuuto announced and walked on to the shelves, then pointing at the rows of different colored crepe paper. "Which colors do we need again?"

Satoshi glanced back at his phone's screen. "Red, white, pink, orange." Following his instructions, Kyuuto grabbed the needed colors off the shelf and placed them in the plastic basket he was holding. "One down." He walked back to Satoshi's side and glanced at the list in the latter's phone. "One, two…three…four more." They continued searching the crafts store for the remaining items, and in the midst of it, Satoshi asked a question.

"Orihara." Satoshi began. "I realized that you wear ear cuffs, not that there's anything wrong with it, but you wear it awfully often. You mind if I ask why?"

Kyuuto kept silent and shook his head. Satoshi was a good friend, but Kyuuto just wasn't prepared to tell his past to somebody. Not yet. Satoshi nodded in understanding. The latter glanced around quickly, and found the final material needed, which was a piece of A3-sized pink paper. Running over, he grabbed the last item and returned to Kyuuto. "Let's go meet the rest." Satoshi smiled as he held the object up. Kyuuto nodded in response, and continued walking down the row of shelves to the rendezvous point, which was the payment counter.

"Hey! Satoshi! Orihara!" Yoshiki shouted, causing some of the surrounding customers to glare at him in disapproval. The boy simply ignored them, and continued. "Did you get everything?"

"Yep." Satoshi nodded positively. "I checked it twice on the way here."

"After we pay, we're free to do as we please." Morishige said as they walked to the beginning of the shortest queue, and their turn soon came. As Kyuuto placed the materials on the counter, Sakutaro glanced into his wallet, and groaned while pulling out a five thousand yen note.

"You guys owe me." He grumbled while handing over the money.

* * *

Yoshiki smiled eagerly as they stood outside the arcade. "You ready? This place is where I shine the most." He boasted proudly.

"Oh, really?" Kyuuto smirked. "We'll see about that."

"Is that a challenge?" Yoshiki turned to look at Kyuuto, who nodded confidently, and firmly hit his chest with the side of his fist. Behind them, Satoshi broke into a nervous smile, while Sakutaro sighed, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably, since Yoshiki practically shoved the shopping bags into Satoshi's and his hands. The other reason was because the two of them never really visited arcades, as the both of them preferred the quiet areas of the mall, like the bookstore, for example. Now, they were only here because a particular blonde forced them here.

Yoshiki grabbed ahold of the cool metal handle of the arcade's glass door, and pushed. Holding the door open for his friends, Kyuuto stepped in first, followed by the very reluctant Satoshi, and an annoyed Sakutaro. Lights flashed around the store, causing Satoshi to flinch and squint his eyes. Blocking out as much of the flashing lights as possible with his free arm, Satoshi and the others followed Yoshiki to a machine, which enables you to play a famous dancing game. The dance stage was divided into nine sections, with four of them in orthogonal directions. Another similar stage beside it showed that this game was for two players. Two metal safety bars in the shape of am upside-down 'U' blocked the back of the metal platforms, perhaps to help players keep their balance throughout the game. During normal gameplay, arrows would scroll upwards from the bottom of the screen and pass over a set of stationary arrows near the top. When the scrolling arrows overlap the stationary ones, the player must step on the corresponding arrows on the dance platform, and the player is given a judgment for their accuracy of every streaked notes.

Kyuuto gulped when he saw the machine.

"Well?" Yoshiki smirked.

Kyuuto laughed nervously. "I…uh…think I'll pass…" Yoshiki cocked his head in surprise.

"What?" Yoshiki stepped forward and nudged Kyuuto's side lightheartedly. "Are you sure?" The latter nodded. "Aww. And I was hoping you would put up a good fight. Turns out you're just another all-talk-and-no…" Kyuuto laughed and shoved Yoshiki away, while the latter chuckled. "Hey, Satoshi." He said after a little playful match of pushing with Kyuuto. "Wanna try?"

"I guess it does look interesting." Satoshi admitted as he glanced at the dancing machine. He handed the bag he was holding on to Kyuuto, before stepping up onto the platform.

"You. Are about to get owned." Yoshiki smiled smugly, and inserted two coins into the machine. Satoshi simply smiled and shrugged. After all, even if he lost, it was still his first time, right? Seconds later, the name of the game's company appeared in large, bold words, before swapping to the game menu. Yoshiki selected different options, and then offered Satoshi the chance to choose a song, due to him being very confident in his skills. Satoshi scrolled through the song list, and randomly selected a song title, which interested him, and a loading screen popped out. Satoshi merely stood still, while Yoshiki moved into a stance professionally. A countdown soon began.

"3! 2! 1!" The voice installed into the machine's system spoke in a very fascinating manner. "GO!" And thus began the competition. Surprisingly, Satoshi kept up with Yoshiki in terms of points and skill, but in the end, he lost, but only by fifty points.

"Good job, but I still won." Yoshiki placed his hands on his hips, grinning. "Now…next…" He glanced around, and saw an interesting-looking shooting game. His face broke into a smile as he pointed at it. "Orihara, how about that?" The mentioned boy turned and looked at the machine the blonde was pointing at. Upon seeing it, Kyuuto grinned.

"You're on."

* * *

Yoshiki stretched and yawned as they exited the gaming store. "You know, Kishinuma," Kyuuto spoke while pocketing his card, where his high scores were printed on. "You're a completely different person in an arcade."

"I am?" Yoshiki asked, genuinely surprised. Satoshi nodded in response.

"You're more outgoing and friendly, actually," The latter smiled, and earned a soft chuckle from Yoshiki. "See?"

"True." The boy admitted while rubbing the back of his head.

"Anyways, you wanna head on home?" Yoshiki looked up at the glass roof of the mall. "It's getting dark."

"Yeah, sounds good," Kyuuto nodded, and gestured forward. "Lead on." The four boys walked out of the shopping center, and onto the lit pavements.

"So, Morishige." Yoshiki said after a short moment of silence. "How's everything with Suzumoto?"

"Y-yeah," Sakutaro adjusted his glasses while his face flushed slightly. "Our relationship's gotten better by twofold, since I confessed."

"Great!" Satoshi smiled encouragingly.

"What about your crush, Satoshi?" Yoshiki smirked when the mentioned boy blushed.

"Ah…I haven't told her yet." Satoshi admitted while averting his eye contact with the group. "It's…hard."

"Then, what about you, Orihara?" Yoshiki turned to his black-haired friend.

"I, uh, I…" Kyuuto swallowed hard.

"Come on," Yoshiki punched Kyuuto's shoulder. "We all know you like Shinohara."

"Eh?" Kyuuto stopped and took a step back. "How…what?"

"Look, it's really obvious," Yoshiki held up a fist, and raised a finger. "Whenever she wants any of your food, you always give it to her without hesitation." Another finger went up. "If she needs help with anything, you'd try your best to help her."

"When she flirts with you, you blush, like a lot. More than Nakashima when Shinohara gropes her."

Satoshi moved forward, and added, "Even if she does something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you'd always forgive her. Like say that one time she slapped your butt—!"

"Oy!" Kyuuto yelled, his face completely red, and frowned.

"The way you look at her pretty much gives everything away, too." Sakutaro folded his arms together.

"Okay, okay!" Kyuuto retorted weakly. "I'll…try and confess…" _It's not as easy as you think. Shinohara likes someone else._ Shaking the thought from his head, Kyuuto continued. "And if I do, Kishinuma, you confess!"

"Huh?" Yoshiki frowned.

"It's Shinozaki, isn't it?" It was Kyuuto's turn to smirk.

"Wha…what are…you talking about?" Yoshiki turned and tugged at his collar. "She's just a friend." Sweat poured from his forehead as he groaned.

Kyuuto grunted and walked up to Yoshiki. "I have a very good reason for that."

"And what would that be?" The blonde asked, but did not move.

"Once, during lunch break," Kyuuto stepped in front of Yoshiki. "I heard you mutter her name repeatedly in your sleep. 'Shinozaki' over and over again." Satoshi smiled when he heard that, since he was also at the scene when it happened.

"I-I didn't!" Yoshiki stuttered as held his arm up, as if to block the next few words that Kyuuto was about to say.

"You know I'm right." Kyuuto chuckled. "Think about it." He urged. _Because it would be so much easier for you._

"Seriously, it's late." Sakutaro groaned. "Let's just keep moving."

"Oh, right." Yoshiki replied nervously.

They continued their journey along the streets, until they came to an intersection, where Kyuuto was the first to leave the group. "I'll see you on Monday!" He called, and waved goodbye to the group of three. Making sure that they crossed the road safely, Kyuuto turned again to the direction of his house. On the way, he walked past a convenience store, and decided to buy some food for his breakfast the next day. In the end, he chose a bottle of milk, and a ready-made cheese sandwich that he simply had to heat in order to eat it. Kyuuto walked to the counter to pay for his items, and spent a few minutes chatting with a kind old lady who lived nearby.

"Ah, it's late." Kyuuto glanced at the clock behind the lady. "I've gotta go home now."

"Goodbye, Orihara." The elder smiled warmly. "Your parents are so lucky to have you as their son. You're so polite and well-mannered." She complimented, but the sentence made Kyuuto tense up. He kept silent for a bit, before answering.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." He replied, but did not turn around to look at her. "I have to go, but if you need any help, just call me, okay?" After finishing that statement, he quickly walked out of the store and released a deep breath. Slowly, he continued down the street, until he came to a four-story apartment. Without hesitation, he walked up the steps sluggishly, coming to a stop at the fourth level's last apartment. Taking out his keys from his pocket, Kyuuto unlocked the door, and moved in silently. After he closed the door and dumped the keys on a small wooden cabinet, he took off his shoes, placing them to the side. Another door stood to his left as he stepped onto the wooden platform.

"…" He looked at the door silently. _Maybe…_ He thought. _They might… just… _With a small burst of hope, he reached for the door's metal handle, and pushed it downwards in a diagonal angle.

"I'm home." He announced as he pushed the door open, and flicked on the light switches. Yet, he was only greeted with his bed, a small kitchen at the side, followed by a door that was the entrance to his toilet. _That was stupid._ He growled to himself. _They're dead. They can't come back._ Roughly shrugging off his gakuran, he threw the black uniform to a nearby chair, while setting his breakfast on the table and dumped himself onto his bed.

_Liar._ He gritted his teeth. _'Someone will always love you, no matter what.' Lies._ Kyuuto pulled his pillow from the back of his head and covered his face with it. _Where the hell are you now?! You said you'd always be there for me! Look at who I am now! I…_ He swore several times out of frustration, and threw his pillow onto the floor.

_It's so hard. So hard without you, Mom…_

* * *

Hi, my name's LucisWolf, but Lucis will do. Anyways, hopefully you guys enjoyed the first two chapters! And, as you know already, Mayu and Shige-nii are together, now all that's left is AyumixYoshiki, SatoshixNaomi, and of course, KyuutoxSeiko. The next chapter should be out soon, since I'm already working on it! Lastly, I don't own Corpse Party, because if I did, Kyuuto would be added into the story, and nobody would die. I own only my OC Orihara Kyuuto, nothing else. I'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Kyuuto jerked up from his bed, snapping out of another nightmare. Groaning, he shifted to the side of the bed groggily, and checked the time. Eleven thirty. He sighed and stood up, then walked to the table where he left his store-bought sandwich. _It…isn't cold anymore._ He thought as he clutched it in his hand. _I guess it needs only about ten minutes in the oven now, on low heat._ He grabbed a small plate, tore open the sandwich's package and placed its contents on the dish, then positioning the saucer on the grills of the oven. After closing the transparent door of the appliance, Kyuuto set the time to ten minutes. The latter then headed into his bathroom, and took a short shower. By the time he finished, the oven produced a soft 'ding', just in time as he stepped out of the bathroom. While drying off his hair, Kyuuto grabbed an oven mitt, removed the warmed sandwich from the cooker, and placed it on his table, beside the bottle of milk he bought yesterday. While taking a bite out of the sandwich, Kyuuto picked up his phone from the table, and saw an alert for a missed call, and a new message. He chewed slowly, and opened the text.

**Hi, Kyuuto! It's been a long time, how are you doing? Anyways, Naho told me that Kibiki-sensei won an award for one of his books, and he's going to treat us at a really cool café! **Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ**Since we've got enough for one more person, we thought, why not you, since you're pretty much the only guy both of us are friends with! Kibiki's already agreed to it, so if you don't reply soon, I'll make sure Naho sends evil spirits to your house!**

**Sayaka**

Kyuuto chuckled after reading the message, and quickly typed a reply.

**What, only me? What about Inumaru?**

Kyuuto tapped the 'send' button, and continued eating his breakfast. Surprisingly, a reply came almost immediately.

**Gah! Don't even bother talking about him! **(_) **So, do you want to go? If not, then we'll just enjoy the extra food there! None for you!**

**Jeez, who said I didn't want to? I'll be there! When is it?**

**In fifteen minutes.**

The instant he read the reply, Kyuuto was off, stuffing his remaining sandwich into his mouth, and chugging down his milk. _Gah! I should have known!_ He thought as he grabbed some clothes out, and began changing. Once he was done, he snatched his wallet and keys from their places and shoved his feet into his shoes. A melody began playing from his phone, and Kyuuto answered it.

"Sayaka?!" He nearly screamed into the phone. "Give me the address!"

"Okay! Let's see…" The girl on the other end spoke slowly. A familiar giggle was heard in the background, and Kyuuto could not mistake it. It was Naho.

"Faster!" He urged as he slammed his apartment door shut, locked it, and dashed down the walkway and stairs, out into the street.

* * *

"Hah…hah…" Kyuuto gasped as he finally saw his two friends, Sayaka Ooue, and Saenoki Naho. Giving out a final burst of energy, Kyuuto sped forth, and reached his friends in no time. He slid to a stop, leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees, and tried to catch his breath. "Wha…what kind of a…joke was that?!" He retorted weakly.

"We just felt like it!" Sayaka smiled. "It's been a long time since Naho and I pranked someone."

"It…couldn't…have been someone else?!" Kyuuto wheezed.

"Ah, if it isn't Orihara-kun." A gentle voice greeted.

Kyuuto looked up, and saw Naho's idol and teacher, Kou Kibiki. "Oh, uh, good…" The younger male glanced at a nearby clock. Eleven fifty-five. "…Afternoon, Kibiki-san." Kibiki nodded in acknowledgment, and turned his gaze to the two girls.

"We can enter now," He said gently, and stepped back into the café. While giggling, Naho and Sayaka went in as well, followed by Kyuuto. A waitress stood in front of Kibiki, and began walking as soon as she saw Kyuuto step in. As they were led to their seat, Kyuuto glanced around the diner, and gaped at the beauty of the place. He silently regretted wearing his simple black hoodie over a grey shirt, accompanied with black pants and the same colored shoes. _Jeez, if only she let me know earlier. I would've gone out to get something better._ Kyuuto groaned mentally. The group of four finally reached their table, and their waitress bowed politely before leaving the room. Kyuuto took a seat beside Kibiki, with Naho and Sayaka on the opposite side. "Go ahead and order anything, it's okay, just so as long as you three enjoy yourselves." Kibiki smiled as he picked up his menu, and began flipping through its pages.

"Ah, yeah, sure." Kyuuto said and mimicked Kibiki's actions. As he scanned through the menu, he gaped at the costs of the café's food.

"Kyuuto, didn't Kibiki-sensei tell you to not hold back on ordering?" Naho smirked. "So why are you hesitating?"

"No! I'm not! It's just…" He trailed off as he saw yet another ridiculous price. In the end, he decided to keep quiet. After a few minutes, a young waitress strode to the table, and held out a small black device, which Kyuuto presumed was a more electronic version of a notepad. When his turn finally came, he hesitated a little, before speaking. "I'll have a bowl…of katsudon, caramel pudding, and tea."

"Tea?" Naho repeated in disapproval. "Make that a bottle of sake!"

"Sake?!" Kyuuto cried out, but before he could change that, the waitress had already left. "Jeez, Naho!"

"You've been drinking it since you were fifteen. How old are you now? Eighteen?" Naho folded her arms together.

"I can't finish it by myself! Besides, I don't like drinking it in public!"

"Who said that you're going to finish it?"

"Urg…" Kyuuto groaned and closed his menu. "A-anyways…" He faked a cough, and continued. "How's life?"

"My radio channel's going on great! We gained quite a few listeners since last month." Sayaka explained cheerfully.

"For me, I guess all of you know about it, but other than that, it's good." Kibiki said as he sipped some of his water, secretly hoping that his tea would come soon.

"Well," Naho began. "I've met some of my fans, and one in particular was Shinozaki Ayumi."

"You've…met Shinozaki?" Kyuuto frowned. "How?"

"She came to one of my book-signing events, and managed to win a prize during a lucky draw." Naho grinned mischievously. "We became fast friends. She told me that she studies in Kisaragi, 3-9, so I asked her if she knew you, and she did." Naho leaned forward. "So, tell me more about this 'Shinohara Seiko'."

"She's well, uh, a friend." Kyuuto smiled nervously as his face reddened. A waiter, who held a round tray, walked over and placed the ordered beverages onto their table quietly.

"What kind of friend?" Sayaka asked as she gently pulled her strawberry milkshake to herself, and placed her lips on the end of the red straw.

"Shut up." Kyuuto glared. "It's none of your business."

"Yes it is." Naho answered, unfazed by the boy's scowl. The latter leaned back and crossed his arms. "Alright. So, how is your life, Kyuuto?"

"…My life…" Kyuuto muttered. "…Is just fine, thank you very much."

"You know what Naho-tan meant."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyuuto scratched the back of his head, slightly upset. "Right, so I like Shinohara. Is that good enough?" Sayaka grinned and cupped her face lightly.

"Aww, Kyuuto's finally found someone!" She spoke loudly, making the boy cringe.

"Lower your voice!" He hissed, and poured some of the rice wine into his cup. "Jeez." Sayaka simply laughed at his reaction, and made Kyuuto's frown melt into a small smile. Even though he might get frustrated at their antics, in the end, he still cared for them. Not as a lover, but as really good friends. Naho always gave good advice due to her calm nature, which she was only most of the time. Sayaka's cheerful personality always urged Kyuuto to look at the bright side of things.

"Katsudon." The first waitress from before placed a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, and egg on the table, then the rest of the dishes that the group of four ordered. Kibiki nodded at the young girl in thanks, before she left.

"Thank you for the food."

The four of them said, and began eating their nourishments, each of them thinking their own thoughts as they chewed their nourishment slowly.

* * *

"Thank you, Kibiki-san." Kyuuto bowed a little when they stepped out into the streets.

"It's no problem." The man raised his hand, and smiled warmly. "Naho, let's go home."

"Un!" The occult journalist nodded quickly and ran to her mentor.

"Wait for me, Naho-tan~!" Sayaka followed while giving out a small whine. "Bye, Kyuuto!" She waved her arm in a large arc, while Naho simply did a small one with her hand.

"I'll see you soon." Kyuuto grinned and walked the other way. _The food they sell at that place was expensive…I'm never going there again… Still, the food there's pretty good._ The boy pulled out his phone and looked at the time. Three-thirty. _Gah. There's still so much time left. Maybe Satoshi or someone has time to spare._ He dialed for Satoshi, but he said was busy, Yoshiki did not answer his phone, and Sakutaro was studying.

_Huh. Might as well head home, then._ Kyuuto thought to himself and walked slowly down the street, and it took him only a few minutes to reach the lane he lived at. Kyuuto raised an eyebrow as he saw a familiar silhouette standing outside his apartment building. _Shinohara?_ He cocked his head, and it was indeed that girl. He smiled and trotted up to her. "Hey, Shinohara." He greeted.

"Orihara-kun?" Seiko's face broke into a smile. "I was just looking for you!"

"What is it?" Kyuuto asked while putting his hands into his pockets, smiling.

"Yui-sensei's birthday is on Monday, and we're gonna celebrate it! Just the nine of us!" Seiko exclaimed. "Mochida-kun and Naomi are in charge of the presents, Kishinuma and Ayumi-chan are going to prepare the decorations. Morishige and Mayu will be setting up the venue, which is, of course, the 3-9 classroom." Seiko explained, but Kyuuto didn't quite catch it, since the girl was speaking so quickly, so he decided to keep quiet.

"And we are baking the cake!" Seiko jumped up happily. "I've already got the recipe and ingredients and stuff, so don't you worry!"

"Uh, I've…never baked a cake before..." Kyuuto muttered.

"It's okay!" Seiko grinned proudly. "With me here, the cake and you will be fine!"

"Uh, sure." Kyuuto let a smile play across his lips. "Whatever you say."

"O-kay! Tomorrow, your house, eleven fifteen!" The girl said, her voice brimming with excitement. "I'll bring the ingredients!"

"Hah? Then…do you need any help bringing them over? Why don't we go to your house instead?"

"Nah, I live nearby, and the ingredients are light." Seiko gave Kyuuto a warm, reassuring smile, causing him to grin as well.

"Wait…Shinohara, why did you come all the way here, to my house? Couldn't you have called me?"

"That's because I don't have your number, silly." Seiko chuckled, and pulled out her phone, handing it over to the boy. The latter quickly typed in his number, and returned the cellphone to its owner.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." He gave Seiko a warm smile. "Shinohara."

The girl looked at him briefly, smiled back, and gave him a 'peace' sign. "Bye-bye!" Kyuuto grinned.

_Cute._

* * *

"I never thought that Shinohara would come over to my house to bake a cake." Kyuuto muttered as he gazed at the transparent liquid in the small silver pot. _Why didn't she just do it with Nakashima? Mochida and I sorting out the presents on our own should be just fine…gah, at least I'm happy about it…_ He thought to himself. His black irises shifted quickly as he saw bubbles surface from the water, and twisted the black rotary knob just enough to turn off the stove. Grabbing the dark grey handle of the pot, he lifted it off the still glowing heating element and poured its contents into an instant ramen cup, and closed its flimsy lid quickly. He then set the pot into the basin and rinsed it in water. _A birthday cake, huh? Shouldn't be too hard, I guess._

* * *

"Done?" Seiko asked as she stood by Kyuuto's side, her hands behind her.

"No," He replied, while folding the cake mix. "Why can't we take turns? My arm's about to fall off!"

Seiko shook her head, her sneaky cat grin appearing on her face. "You gonna let a woman do all the dirty work?"

"It's not dirty–!" Kyuuto whined while adding as much strength as possible into mixing the thick paste.

"Wait! I've got a text from Class rep!" The girl cut him off and hopped away from him. The latter gave out a sigh, regretting his thought from the previous day. He continued mixing the paste, until Seiko came back into the kitchen. "Done?"

Kyuuto shrugged his aching shoulders. "Come see for yourself." Seiko walked over and glanced into the large bowl.

"Okay, you can stop now," she instructed and gently lifted the bowl off of Kyuuto's numb hands. The boy released a long sigh of relief, and plopped himself down onto a nearby chair.

"Finally." He breathed.

"Nope." Seiko grinned and pointed to another bowl. "You've still got to mix the icing."

"This has got to be a joke."

* * *

"Done! I'm not doing this anymore! My arm is dead from all that stirring!" Kyuuto groaned and nearly dropped the bowl.

"Thank you!" Seiko clapped her hands together happily. "Just put it in the fridge for the moment." She walked over to the kitchen appliance and pulled the door open. Quickly, Kyuuto set the bowl on the middle shelf and closed the door. There was a short moment of silence, before he spoke.

"What now?" He asked. "There's pretty much nothing to do."

"Hm…" Seiko raised her hand to her chin and rubbed it gently. "How about… 21 Questions?"

"What's that?" Kyuuto asked, raising an eyebrow. They walked out of the kitchen and sat down in front of each other on the boy's bed.

"Just asking questions to each other." Seiko explained while smiling cheekily. "The only rule is to be honest. No lies."

"Seems easy enough." Kyuuto paused. "So easy that it's kinda suspicious…"

Ignoring his statement, Seiko hurriedly asked the first question. "Have you ever had a crush?"

"Yeah." Kyuuto nodded.

"You can't just say that. You have to describe her!" Seiko lied, and pouted at the boy's answer.

"Ah…" Kyuuto blushed slightly. "She's…also part of class 3-9…has, uh, long hair…that is…styled onto both sides of her head." He stopped himself from add the bit about the curls.

Seiko sighed at the answer, with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. "I guess you've already defined her."

"Why did you come over?" Kyuuto asked.

"I don't get it."

"Well, you could have baked the cake with Nakashima, and Mochida and I would've been okay with the presents."

"Because Naomi needs her alone time with her darling Mochida-kun!" Seiko cupped the sides of her cheeks while squealing.

_Somehow that sounds like an excuse…_ Kyuuto held back the urge to say that out loud, and waited patiently for Seiko's question.

"Do you…always live alone?"

"Yeah. Since I was fifteen. Before that I was living in a orphanage." Kyuuto answered hesitantly. "Do you like someone?" Seiko nodded.

"This girl that you like…is she your first crush?" Seiko questioned. If Kyuuto really likes Ayumi, then she's going to make it happen. Just like how Naomi likes Satoshi. Kyuuto nodded in response.

"This person whom you like. Describe him for me?"

"He has dark hair and eyes, and a classmate of mine." Seiko answered while averting her gaze. Kyuuto's breath hitched. It was indirect, but he was sure Seiko was talking about him. "How many girlfriends have you had so far?"

"None." Kyuuto shrugged. "I mean it." Seiko stifled a giggle.

"Are you serious?" She smirked. "Someone like you?"

"Yeah. I've never actually liked another girl until recently." Kyuuto laughed at himself. "How about you?"

"Well, for me, I've had one, but he wasn't exactly loyal." Seiko blew out a sad sigh. "If you'd ask me he was a little on the abusive side." She paused. "If…someone you love was in trouble… how far would you go to save them?"

"If it's someone I love, then I would give my life for that person." Kyuuto shook his head gently. "I'm never letting anyone else die again."

"Again?" Seiko repeated softly.

"It's my turn." Kyuuto avoided her question and asked. "Who is this person? Who is it that abused you?"

"…Satou Eiji." Seiko replied as she recalled memories of her ex-boyfriend.

"Shinohara?" Kyuuto waved his hand in front of the girl's face, snapping her out of her memories.

"Ah…if you don't mind…what do you mean, by 'again'?" Seiko asked, fully aware that she was asking a personal question.

"If you promise that you'd keep this to yourself…then I'll tell you." Kyuuto said while averting his gaze. "Everything." Seiko nodded confidently.

"I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Kyuuto stared silently at the girl who sat in front of him, thinking about his decision once more. Sure, he likes her, but the problem was if he was ready to talk about his past, his fears. Seiko looked at him as well, but her eyes showed no sign of impatience.

"Let's start three months before I was born." He murmured. "…My father died in an accident. I never knew who he was, what he looked like, but my mother…she said that he was a very kind, but strong and protective man. I always wished to meet him in person, but, it just wasn't possible." He breathed out slowly. "Over time, I gradually became more protective over my mother, as long as I could remember that description of my father. Every time I felt uneasy for the wellbeing of my mother, I would try to step in front of her, but she would just gently move me aside, and tell me, 'It's okay.' But it wasn't." Kyuuto paused. "We went to the bank once every few weeks. I would sit at a side while she did her job. Then, that day, a man…walked into the bank. I remember that chill I felt as he walked past. I got up and ran to my mother, and tried to pull her away from the counter, but that man had already taken out a gun. He raised it and pointed its muzzle to the ceiling. He pulled he trigger twice, and demanded for the cash. Debris and small chunks of the ceiling fell. The accountant hesitated. Being the closest, the robber pointed the gun at my mother." Kyuuto stared down onto his bed sheets, balling up his fists, gathering some of the soft fabric as he did so.

" 'Hurry up and give me the money. Follow my instructions and this woman will be spared.' He said. I tried to step in front of my mother, but it was the same. 'It's okay.' She told me. But…" Kyuuto bit his lower lip, willing for his tears to stay in. "The second she said that, an enraged shout broke the silence, and…a bullet buried itself into my mother's right shoulder. She cried out, and I just stood. I was just...frozen. I was so scared; I couldn't even break through that barrier and save my mother. By the time I could move, another furious scream burst from the burglar's mouth, and my mother was dead." Water began gathering at the corners of his eyes. "A shot right through the head. She just fell. I shook her even though…" He wept. "Even though I knew she was dead. I couldn't hold back my anger. I attacked that man, but he threw me aside easily, yet he didn't shoot. Instead, he took out a knife, and cut my ear."

Seiko took a quick glance at the metal ear cuff on Kyuuto's left ear. She wanted to comfort the boy, to give him a hug, but something held her back. Maybe it's their relationship level? Or was it because Kyuuto likes Ayumi?

"I couldn't get away. He held me there. He had that crazed smirk on his face. I tried to push him away, and at first, it didn't work. After a few attempts I felt a sudden burst of strength, and I punched him. I broke his ribcage entirely, and his lungs were damaged. I felt so…proud of myself for a second, until I realized that I had injured someone badly." Kyuuto ended with a soft sob. "I…let my mother die." He whimpered, letting his tears fall onto the bed sheets. "On top of that…I killed someone…and I enjoyed it…" He pressed his arm onto his eyes, and gritted his teeth, but could not prevent the sobs from escaping. "I'm such a burden…a wimp…a murderer…"

"No…" Seiko breathed softly. "Maybe you did enjoy it, but you regretted it, didn't you?" Kyuuto continued crying, allowing Seiko to continue. "To me…family isn't about hindrances or trouble. Family doesn't care about that sort of thing." The boy did not answer. "That's why I know you're not a burden at all…" After a short silence, Seiko leaned forward and hugged him; unable to resist the urges her motherly side gave her that she developed since her own mother went missing.

"It's okay." She comforted gently as he cried into her shoulder. She raised her hand stroked his black hair slowly.

"It's okay."

* * *

Kyuuto cracked his eyes open slightly, and checked the digital clock on his beside table. Six forty-five in the morning. _Huh. Might as well get ready for school._ He stretched and got up, rubbing his left eye drowsily. He walked slowly to his refrigerator, and found a note sitting on one of the shelves after opening its door, taped onto a sandwich packaged in plastic wrap. Kyuuto reached forward and grabbed the food, and as he walked to his table, read the note.

_**Good morning, Kyuuto!**_

_**I made you a sandwich for breakfast, since I guessed that you'd only wake up in the morning after all that. Don't worry; I'll keep everything to myself. I've brought the cake with me; so don't worry your pretty little head off.**_

_**Don't be late!**_

_**Seiko**_

The boy mentally pinched himself for forgetting about Seiko as he set the sandwich down onto the table and grabbed a towel, taking his time to walk to his toilet. As he removed his clothes, he frowned at a part of him that appeared from the base of his spine, swinging it discontentedly. He blew out a slow sigh, and began brushing his teeth.

* * *

"Well aren't you early today, Orihara-kun?" Ayumi smiled as she walked into the classroom.

"Yeah, I woke up early, and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I just prepared to come to school." Kyuuto answered. "Is Shinohara here yet?"

"Nope," Ayumi shook her head, "She normally comes in about five minutes." The class representative walked to the back of the classroom, and grabbed a ladder, slightly rusted on the sides. "Orihara-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Could you help me with this?" She asked, standing beside the ladder. Kyuuto nodded, and got up. He walked to where Ayumi was, and waited for further instructions.

"Just set it up and support it first." She instructed. Nodding, Kyuuto did as he was told, and finished it rather easily. Halfway through the process, Ayumi flinched as she sensed a familiar, yet bad feeling coming from her black-haired friend.

"Something wrong?" Kyuuto asked. "You look…kinda pale…" He frowned worriedly at her face.

"No," Ayumi smiled. "It's okay. Anyways, I'm going to test it, so hold it tight, okay?"

"No problem!" Kyuuto hit his chest with the side of his fist confidently. "Okay, up you go!" He urged the girl. Ayumi walked to the object and began climbing, setting her left foot onto the first step. A soft creak was heard, but she ignored it and continued to the top. Once she had reached the highest point, Ayumi waited for a few seconds to confirm its stability. She turned and grinned.

"It's fine! The ladder is still–!" She was cut off as slipped on the step she was standing on, causing her to stumble slightly and fall backwards. Kyuuto's eyes widened, and for a split-second, he debated whether or not to move. Moving meant that Ayumi would hit the ground, and not moving would mean that Ayumi would crash into him. In the end, there was no need for a choice, and since everything moved too quickly. The girl crashed into him, knocking out his breath from his lungs due to the impact. He leaned backwards, and fell to the floor.

"Guh…" He grunted and took in a quick intake of air. "Oy…Shinozaki? You okay?" He asked, and a groan escaped Ayumi's lips as he cracked his eyes open to see her. "If you are, then, it would be best for us if you would, uh, get off." Ayumi gasped and scrambled off, apologizing, until a sharp pain was felt on her left ankle.

"H-hey," Kyuuto reached out with his right hand. "You okay?"

"Yea-yeah." Ayumi cringed at the pain. "Just…twisted my ankle." A memory went through her mind, which made her stare at Kyuuto. The latter averted his gaze, and asked.

"You know…who I really am, don't you?" He whispered. Ayumi only nodded.

"Yeah…and my sister…she told me that…your kind can heal living beings if they want to…" She said hesitantly.

"Yeah, and I intend to do that. As long as you keep this a secret, especially from Shinohara." He reached forward and gently rested his hand on her ankle. A soft teal orb began to glow faintly, and Ayumi gradually felt the pain being eased from her ankle. The orb soon faded from their vision.

Kyuuto grunted at the sudden throb in his mind. He placed his left hand on his head painfully.

"Are you okay?" Ayumi asked, her face turning into a frown.

"No, it's…urg…" He grunted at another sharp sting in his head. "This healing ability is half-developed in my species…so…every time we use this…there is a price to pay. Don't worry, I'm fine, it only lasts for a short time." _But the more serious the injury is, the more painful the throb._

"Seiko! Get away from me! Stop!" A cry was heard from outside the classroom, and Naomi dashed in, clutching her bag tightly. Behind her, Seiko ran in, grasping a book with the title, 'The Art of Sex'. Kyuuto couldn't help but smirk at the sight. Beside him, Ayumi hesitantly got up to stop the two.

"Shinohara!" She chided. "Don't run in the classroom!" Naomi ran to the Class representative, and hid behind her fearfully. "Leave Nakashima alone, too!"

"Oh?" Seiko smirked mischievously. "You want this, don't you? I could give to you now, since I have an extra for Naomi back home." Seiko shrugged. "Since the two of you would want this for your sweet Mochida and Kishinuma!"

"Morning, Shinohara." Kyuuto smiled, pretending as if he did not see Seiko harassing the two girls. "What's that in your hands?" He faked an enticing smile. Acting was one of his small specialties, and sometimes, it was fun to tease people with it. "I'm guessing it's for you to improve your sex skills?" He spoke smoothly, holding back a smile as he saw Seiko's cheeks flare faintly. "Aw," He chuckled. "How did you like my acting?"

"Hah?" She gasped. "You were acting?" Kyuuto nodded proudly as Satoshi and Yoshiki walked in.

"Yo," Yoshiki greeted briefly.

"Good morning, everyone." Satoshi smiled and took his seat. "Suzumoto-san and Morishige aren't here yet?" He asked. Naomi shook her head in response.

"Oh yeah," Yoshiki glanced at Seiko. "Where's the cake?"

"In the fridge at the cafeteria. The lady and I are good friends, so she'll be helping us to take care of the cake for now." Seiko flashed a peace sign, before shoving the book into the blonde's hands. "Here." Yoshiki frowned and read the title, only to drop it in disgust.

"What's that?" Satoshi poked Yoshiki's shoulder as he asked.

"N-nothing." Yoshiki hastily grabbed the other boy' shoulders and led him away from the horrible book of terror. Kyuuto smiled as they walked away, and was just about to follow, until Morishige walked in, together with Mayu. As usual Seiko ran ahead to tease them. Deciding to save the two, and just to play around with Seiko for a bit, Kyuuto crept up behind the amber-eyed girl, and abruptly poked her sides, earning a surprised squeak from her.

"Heh," Kyuuto snorted softly, grinning. "Gotcha." Seiko turned around, and gave him a pout. In return, he smirked, and raised his hand to Seiko's forehead, and flicked his index finger. The former yelped at the sting, taking a step back. As she rubbed the pink spot on her forehead, a mischievous thought crossed her mind. She lunged forward, but Kyuuto stepped to the side, dodging it. Seiko fell, but a hand grabbed her wrist just as her face was inches from the floor. The same hand pulled her up, and another one supported her from just above the waist.

"You missed." He taunted the girl as he put her back on her feet. _No I didn't~_ Seiko leapt forward once more, and wrapped her own arms around him, making the latter yelp as his face flushed red. Seiko looked up at the boy, and for a moment, his black eyes flashed in a teal color, confusing the girl. Seiko released her grip around the boy's torso, perplexed. "Eh…?" Kyuuto felt himself being dragged away by Ayumi, out of the classroom, and to the area just outside the restrooms. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Didn't you feel it?" Ayumi questioned. "Your eyes changed color."

"Well, there was a little weird feeling in my eyes, but I didn't think—."

"You have to control yourself more. If you don't, then people will find out. Keep your emotions in check, don't feel too…how should I put it…intense…" She spoke seriously. "If you do, then the first things to change are your eyes, followed by…"

"Yeah, I know." Kyuuto bit his lower lip and looked elsewhere. "Means no being overly…ah…emotional. Somewhere there." Ayumi crossed her arms and nodded, then turned to leave. "Hey…class rep."

"What?"

"Thanks." Kyuuto trotted up to her. "For helping me."

"No problem." Ayumi replied without looking at the boy. "It's my job as a class representative, your friend, and as a born medium."


	5. Chapter 5

Kyuuto walked silently beside Ayumi, both thinking their own thoughts as they made their way back to their classroom. "Hey." Kyuuto started, managing to get the girl's attention. "When did you find out about me? As in, who I really am?"

"The first time you lifted something heavy, you used your unnatural strength, and I could sense it." Ayumi explained. "It was a scary thing at first…there was this feeling in my gut that told me you weren't just a normal high school boy with girl issues."

"Didn't have to add that part." Kyuuto sighed in disapproval. Ayumi simply chuckled in response.

"Speaking about girl issues, have you told her yet?"

"No." Kyuuto replied bluntly. "She likes Nakashima."

"Since when?"

"Since I got here, I guess. Maybe even way back." Kyuuto tilted his head up, looking at the ceiling. "I doubt she likes me as well."

"You could try." Ayumi folded her arms together. "Nakashima doesn't feel the same way to Shinohara. She only wants them to be best friends. Plus," Ayumi stepped forward quickly, turned around and poked Kyuuto's chest several times, as if scolding him. "You didn't confess when all of us purposely put the two of you in charge of the cake. Even Mochida-kun didn't say anything."

"I thought you liked Satoshi." Kyuuto questioned.

"Not as much, now." Ayumi sighed. "I'm deciding between Kishinuma-kun and Mochida."

"Shinozaki? Orihara?" A feminine voice spoke, making the two stop and turn around.

"Yui-sensei!" Ayumi smiled even more brightly at the sight of her teacher.

"On the way back to class?" Yui asked as she adjusted the stack of worksheets pressed between her arm and body.

"Yep," Ayumi replied. "Let me help." She reached forward and took the entire stack of papers off, lightening the teacher's workload. Yui nodded in thanks.

"I'll get the boxes for you." Kyuuto offered, and took the two cardboard boxes from the teacher, leaving her with nothing.

"Thank you, Orihara, but please, let me take one of the boxes, it's too heavy for you to take both."

"Nah. Don't worry about it." Kyuuto answered. "Just tell me where to go. I can't see anything from here." He grunted slightly as he felt the top box slipping, and leaned backwards to return it to its original position. Yui laughed softly, and nodded.

"Keep walking forward, our classroom is just up ahead." She said. They walked in silence for a bit, before reaching the entrance of the door. Ayumi walked in first, followed by Yui, then Kyuuto. The teacher grabbed the top box off the boy, and set it down on the floor. "Here." She instructed, patting the top of the box lightly. Kyuuto followed her instructions, putting it down on top of the first box, before proceeding back to his seat.

* * *

"Ow!" Satoshi yelped as he fortuitously slammed the hammer onto his finger. He shook his hand frantically.

"Be careful." Naomi called worriedly.

"Uh, yeah," Satoshi replied, embarrassed, and continued with his job.

"O-kay!" Kyuuto took a deep breath, and lifted one side of the table, with Sakutaro on the other side. They shifted the teacher's table slightly to the middle of the front. "Hm? Where's Seiko and Class rep?" He asked no one in particular, but Yoshiki answered him as he moved a box onto the moved table.

"They've went to buy some time for us while we set up the class." He opened the thin cardboard lid. "Hey, this looks good." He smiled down at the cake, lined with strawberries and soft white cream at the circumference. The blonde reached down with his finger, and was just about to smear some cream onto his fingers, until a hand slapped it away, and another pair pulled the cake out of his reach.

"No! Only Yui-sensei can get the first bite!" Naomi frowned at Yoshiki disapprovingly. Mayu nodded at her side, clutching the cake box in her arms.

"Fine, fine." Yoshiki huffed, and left to slack a little. Kyuuto was just about to call out to him for some help, when a smell was caught with his nose. It twitched a little as the boy registered the smell, and then ran out of the classroom, following the scent.

"Oy! Kyuuto!" Yoshiki shouted from behind him, but the former ignored it completely.

_Female…seven…dead?_ He thought as he ran along the halls. _A dead kid? Is she some kind of…spirit? Ghost?_ He continued running, until the scent brought him to the door of the school's basement. He gulped, as he rested his hand on the door handle. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down on the piece of metal, and entered the dark room. Glancing around, all he saw were the dark shapes of the items kept in the basement. Just as he took a step back, the door slammed shut behind him, instinctively making him run for the door, and test the handle. _Locked._ He groaned, and glanced around. Making sure he could sense no other presence in the room, Kyuuto flicked his thumb and middle finger, creating a small orb of teal fire, hovering just above his palm.

"Hello?" He called out softly, but did not receive a response. He called again, and this time, a young girl's giggle echoed around the enclosed room. Kyuuto shuddered as a chill ran up his spine.

"Onii-chan." The same voice spoke. "Orihara…onii-chan." A moment passed, before someone kicked Kyuuto from behind, making him lose his footing, and fall off the flight of stairs and land face-down on the ground. "Urg." Kyuuto grumbled as he rubbed his nose, as the bruise on it faded gradually. The ball of fire remained lit on his hand, lighting up the area around him. He tensed as he heard heavy footsteps in front of him, getting louder with every passing second.

"Who's there?" He asked, but the only reply that came was a low moan, followed by a large grey hand that shot out from the darkness, and gripped the boy's neck tightly. The latter gasped as he clutched the being's arm, his only light source put out, trying to push himself out of the individual's grasp, but to no avail. He struggled desperately, trying to breath in more air. _Can't…release his grip…I need to use it, but…_ The grey hand tightened once more. _Screw it! If I don't use it, then my life's over!_ He gritted his teeth together and concentrated. Teal flames, much bigger than the last one, began burning on his palms. Quickly, he pressed the two blue combustions onto the arm covered in the defenseless ragged sleeve of a shirt, burning the assaulter's grey flesh. Wisps of smoke floated upwards as the arm was pulled back hastily, followed by a loud, painful groan. Kyuuto stepped forward, letting the flames on his palm light up the assaulter's face. To his surprise, a young girl stared back at him. Long black hair hung down from her head, and she wore a tattered red dress. Her skin was the same dull grey that belonged to his attacker's arm, the proof was that her arm was sizzling with smoke, but the problem was that her hand was short, the kind that belonged to a normal seven-year-old girl. His attacker's arm was a large, muscular one. _Dead. Is she the one I sniffed out just now?_ Kyuuto observed her carefully.

He frowned as he looked at the girl, whose eyes were almost completely covered by her long black hair. Without his notice, the girl's mouth curled upwards into a smile as she brandished pair of large scissors. "What?!" Kyuuto cried out, but the sharp edge of the knife sliced his cheek before he could even take a step back. He growled and opened his clenched fist at his side, creating a ball of flame, which extended vertically. An object materialized within the blue flames. Kyuuto grasped its grip firmly, making sure that his sword, Seika, would not slip out of his hold. He swung his weapon diagonally upwards, and to his surprise, the little girl parried it rather easily. Jumping back, Kyuuto lunged forth again, this time slashing his sword in a horizontal arc. The ghost girl simply giggled and floated back, the tip of Seika's blade barely even touching her red dress.

**"Is this really all that you have to offer~?"** The girl taunted. **"If so, then you must be very weak, huh?"** She giggled, floating in a small circle.

"Shut up if you don't know anything!" Kyuuto snapped. If he used his full power now, then people would definitely notice. He would also need a lot of willpower and concentration to use his power entirely, or he would lose control. "What are you doing here? Go back to your own world."

"**And how did you know that I'm not from here?"** The girl asked, slightly surprised. Kyuuto simply shook his head.

"Can't tell you." He arched an eyebrow. "But if you're not going back, then I'll have to force you." Shifting his left foot forward, Kyuuto lowered his sword grip, but tilted its blade upwards.

"Fine. I'll go." The girl smirked. "Let's play again together—soon." She waved her hand once, and within the next moment, she was gone. Kyuuto heard a soft, but clear click of the basement door unlocking. It creaked open on its own, and Kyuuto couldn't help but shudder a little. He extinguished the teal flames in his hand, the sword disappearing together with the blue flames. He cupped his injured cheek lightly, and moved his fingers across it gently, earning a small sting. _Good thing it's already healing._ Kyuuto sighed to himself.

* * *

"Where were you?" Sakutaro, with his arms folded, asked, slightly upset. "We had to set things up on our own, and you weren't here to welcome Yui-sensei as well."

"Ah…sorry." Kyuuto apologized. "Happy Birthday, Yui-sensei."

"Thank you, Orihara-kun."

"Let's cut the cake!" Seiko announced. She clapped her hands together, and handed the older female a plastic knife used specially to cut birthday cakes. "Go on!" Seiko urged. Naomi stood beside her while smiling encouragingly at Yui.

"Wait!" Satoshi stopped the teacher quickly. "You've gotta make your wish first!"

"Oh yeah, how could we forget?" Ayumi smiled.

"Okay…" Yui closed her eyes, and put her hands together. A few seconds passed, and she reopened her eyes. "Done! Now, I want all of you to blow together with me!" Mayu, Naomi, and Seiko stood on both sides of the teacher, while the three boys and Ayumi stood on the opposite side.

"Three, two, one!" Yui counted, and took in a deep breath, then blowing out gently. Taking that as a sign for them to proceed as well, the students followed. Within seconds, the small, orange flames were blown out, and Yui proceeded to cut it. She angled the rougher side of the knife downwards, and pushed down gently, cutting the cake. Before she could continue, Ayumi grabbed the teacher's wrists.

"Leave the cake for now. Morishige will cut them."

"When did I-?" The cobalt-haired boy began, but was shut as a finger was put in front of his lips. Mayu stared up at him, and the latter had no choice but to agree.

"Just take any of them first!" Seiko instructed. "It doesn't really matter." Yui nodded in reply, and took a decent sized box from the pile.

"From, Naomi. To my beloved teacher, Yui-sensei." The teacher smiled as she read the tag. "Thank you, Nakashima." She began unwrapping the gift, and was greeted with a box of homemade sweets. Taking off the transparent cover, Yui took a heart-shaped one and popped it into her mouth. "This is really good!" She complimented as she set the cover back on.

"Why, thank you!" Seiko bowed dramatically. Naomi stood at her side, pouting, but it quickly turned into an amused smile.

Placing the box to the side, Yui continued opening her remaining presents.

Soon, the eight students and their teacher had begun eating the homemade cake, which Seiko proudly boasted that it took all of her strength and energy to finish making it.

"Pf," Kyuuto smirked at her. "No it didn't. You said that it was dirty work, and got me to do almost everything."

"Did I?" Seiko put a finger to her chin, feigning ignorance. "I don't seem to remember all that except for you trying to flirt with me~"

"I wasn't," Kyuuto snorted playfully. "You were the one who hugged me." He walked over to the teacher's table as he talked, and released a surprised gasp as soon as he turned to look at the cake. "Wait, I thought…"

"It's with me!" Seiko chuckled as she waved the last piece of cake in Kyuuto's face teasingly.

"Give me that!" He lunged forward, but Seiko had already slipped away. "Hey! Get back here!" He shouted lightheartedly. The rest of the people in the room laughed as Kyuuto tried in vain to catch the girl.

"I'll be taking this!" Yoshiki smirked and skillfully snatched the plate from Seiko's hands.

"Hey!" Seiko cried and began chasing the blonde, while Kyuuto changed course.

"My turn!" Ayumi giggled and grabbed the plate away from the blonde.

"Nope!" Mayu laughed and took the cake away from the class representative.

"Bye~!" Naomi snatched the object away once more.

"Don't be childish." Sakutaro chided gently, took the dish away from Naomi, holding it high above his head. Thanks to him being the tallest in the group, no one could reach the precious pastry. Yoshiki grinned from the back, and tackled Sakutaro to the ground, letting the cake go flying through the air. Unexpectedly, Satoshi caught it, but he didn't run. Instead, he stood there, staring at his friends blankly.

"Erm…" He smiled nervously as six of his friends closed in on him. He sighed, and ate the remaining cake in a single bite. As if it was a power source, the rest of the group collapsed onto the ground dramatically.

"Sorry." Satoshi allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. "But it's not only you guys who wants the last piece."

* * *

Personally, that last bit where the students were fighting over the cake, is what I'd like imagine when they spend time together, in the 'canon-world'. As for the little duel between ghost-girl-in-a-red-tattered-dress versus Kyuuto, I would like some advice on that–I love writing fight scenes, and I would love to improve the way I write it. Tell me what you think about the story so far? Maybe I can make some tweaks to improve it! Plus, I didn't expect that by the time the fifth chapter is posted, there would be 1,000+ views, and as a first-timer, I'm actually quite happy :D

Lucis


	6. Chapter 6

"Done!" Naomi announced as she set the last table back to its original place. She dusted herself off, as did the others. "Let's go home–?!" A pair of arms wrapped themselves around the brunette's thighs, and something soft rubbed itself on her…rear end.

"Naomi!" Seiko cried out dramatically, refusing to let her now blushing friend go. Naomi struggled desperately, and managed to break free of Seiko's clutches only after hitting the latter on the head. Kyuuto frowned slightly at the scene. Normally, he would be fine with it, even laugh a little, but now, he just felt like he was prone to being angry easily even with the smallest things.

"Orihara-kun, are you okay?" Mayu asked from his side. "You look…upset…"

"It's none of your…!" Kyuuto shouted, but stopped as he realized his actions. Sakutaro quickly ran in front of Mayu, defending her, while scowling at the shorter boy. The rest of the class gasped at the sudden harshness in his words.

"What's your problem? Mayu only asked if you were okay!" Sakutaro growled. Kyuuto only averted in gaze.

"Sorry," He said, "I'm just…a little annoyed right now."

"A little?" Sakutaro repeated, glowering at Kyuuto. "Did you see the way you spoke to her?"

"No, I didn't, but I know I was wrong." Kyuuto answered. "Suzumoto, I'm sorry-."

"Not just a 'sorry'!"

"Shige-nii, it's fine, Orihara knows…" Mayu tried to defend Kyuuto, but was cut off.

"No," Sakutaro said, almost bitterly. "I can't let an asshole hurt your feelings and get away with it."

"Who are you calling an asshole?!" Kyuuto snarled. "I've already apologized!"

"Hey…! Don't fight! It's Yui-sensei's birthday! Stop!" Ayumi began, but someone stopped her, wrapping his fingers around her slender arm.

"Don't." Yoshiki said calmly and tugged her back.

"Why not?" Naomi asked the blonde.

"I was a delinquent before, and I know when or not people should intervene." He replied, keeping his grey eyes on Sakutaro and Kyuuto.

"It's not enough!" Sakutaro retorted at Kyuuto, determined to 'mend' Mayu's feelings. Suddenly, the former grabbed the side of Kyuuto's head, and seized Kyuuto's ear cuff with his thumb and index finger. Without a second thought, he yanked it off, revealing a small piece of Kyuuto's flesh at the edge of his ear, gone. Immediately after that, Kyuuto's left half of his body went numb for a moment. He stumbled backwards, falling onto a table as he regained his sense of touch on his body.

"Give it back!" He demanded weakly. "Just give it back! You don't understand!" He whimpered as memories began to flood into his mind, overwhelming him.

"No! Not until you make Mayu-!"

"_**Give it back!"**_ Kyuuto roared. _**"You have no idea of what's happening in my head right now!"**_

"Tch," Sakutaro glared at the boy, as if challenging him. _"Make me."_

"Morishige! Just return it!" Seiko shouted. "What's wrong?! This isn't your normal self!"

"Sakutaro!" Mayu shouted from her place behind the cobalt-haired boy. The use of his given name seemed to snap him out of his rage, and turn to look at the girl. "Please, just return it…" she pleaded. "I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me." Sakutaro took in a deep breath, and released it slowly.

"Y…yeah…okay…" He turned back to Kyuuto who was now sitting on the floor, covering his eyes. "Hey…Orihara…I'm sorry I was so…protective over Mayu…and I know that I did was wrong."

_You're just repeating what I said just now. I really feel like…_ He thought irritably to himself, but managed to force out his next words reluctantly. "It's…okay…" He muttered, but there were still signs of rage in his voice.

"Can somebody…get my ear cuff for me?" He asked, refusing to remove his hands from his eyes. "I…don't feel very…" He stopped as he felt something hard and cold slide onto his ear. Allowing a long sigh of relief to escape his lips, Kyuuto removed his hands from his face, and saw amber eyes staring gently back at him.

"Hey, you okay, Kyuuto?" Satoshi asked. "Need any help?" Kyuuto simply shook his head and turned to Seiko.

"Shinohara…" He smiled. "Thanks."

"Anything for my baby~!" She cooed, pursing her lips teasingly. Kyuuto blushed at the gesture, even though he knew it was only a joke. The rest chuckled softly at Seiko, while Yui stood at the side, smiling with her arms folded glanced at Kyuuto, whose face was reddened. _Maybe…they might just accept that boy for who he is._

"It's getting late, pack up and go home, okay?" She said. "Thank you all for the party, I enjoyed myself today." She picked up her bag and slung it on her shoulder.

"We did too, Yui-sensei." Naomi responded.

"But…I'm sorry…for fighting with Morishige just now." Kyuuto apologized as he stood up shakily. "It probably made you upset."

"No, actually." Yui grinned. "I know this may sound weird, but you've shown me something during that fight that makes me happy."

"Eh?" Was all the students managed to say as their teacher left.

* * *

"Hey, Shinohara!" Kyuuto ran up to the brunette. "You mind if I walk you home? It's…in thanks for getting my ear cuff back for me. I really appreciate it."

"Sure," Seiko nodded as they walked out of the school.

"Hey, where's Nakashima?" Kyuuto asked, glancing around.

"She's with Mochida." Seiko replied. "She's probably enjoying herself with him."

"You…like Nakashima, huh?" Kyuuto asked hesitantly.

"What? No, I…" She began, but stopped. "Yeah…I do."

"It…would be better for you if…if you told her…" Kyuuto forced a small smile.

"Yeah, but she's not interested in girls." Seiko shook her head sadly.

"Have you tried asking?"

"No…"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"It would. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"I'll accompany you, if you'd try and tell her." Kyuuto frowned at himself mentally. Part of him hated the fact that he had just offered to accompany his crush to confess to another person, but the other portion wanted to confirm if Naomi liked Seiko back. A small fragment of him also wanted for the girl to be happy.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Call her. Bring her out on those little shopping dates that girls do."

"I will!" Seiko replied, pumped. "Once I get home, and then if she rejects, I'll grope her tomorrow, until she does!"

"Hm, yeah," Kyuuto answered.

"Ne, Orihara-kun?"

"Huh?"

"Just now…what happened? After Morishige took your…ear cuff…you looked really weak. You were stumbling and falling all over the place."

"I don't know." Kyuuto gave a small shrug. "But memories came back to me…memories that I never knew I had."

"Forgotten…memories?"

"I guess so." Kyuuto looked up at the orange sky. "It makes me doubt my memory about that time at the bank."

"What did you experience?"

"I…don't know…it's kinda fuzzy. All I saw was a man and a woman, barely alive on a bed." Kyuuto rubbed his thumb and index finger together nervously. "Their blood stained the white sheets of the bed, with the woman gasping for air as she slowly died from blood loss, since she was cut on her neck. The man lay on the bed, with his organs spilled from his stomach." He shuddered as he recalled the bloody scene. "But then again, maybe it's just me hallucinating."

"Maybe," Seiko repeated softly.

"Enough about that stuff. How are you doing at home?" Kyuuto waved his hand sideways slightly as he changed the subject to avoid talking about awkward topics. They continued chatting, talking about their friends and Seiko's family, until they walked past a convenience store. "Wait here." He told the girl, and ran in. He soon came back out, with a popsicle in his hands, except that this popsicle had two wooden sticks set through the blue treat at a small distance. Kyuuto pulled on the two wooden rods, breaking the popsicle vertically in half. "Here." He handed one over to the girl as he brought the other to his mouth. Seiko accepted the treat happily and stuck it into her mouth. The ice melted in her mouth as it cooled her tongue, and the sweet taste overwhelmed her taste buds. Cupping her face, Seiko squealed in delight.

"Thank you!" She said happily.

"You think you have some more time?" Kyuuto asked.

"Yeah," She nodded, perplexed. "Why?" Kyuuto pointed to a nearby park.

"Want to go for a short walk around the park?" He proposed. "At this time of the day, the park would look better compared to the morning." Seiko nodded, and let Kyuuto take her hand, leading her towards the park entrance as she finished off her popsicle.

"Ever tried stone skipping?" He asked as he brought her to the edge of the lake in the park. He released her hand and knelt down, searching for something. It took a while, but he found two nice pebbles that fitted nicely into his own hand. Standing up, he handed on to Seiko, dropping it into her cupped hands. "You try it." He encouraged. Turning back to the lake, Kyuuto drew his hand back, and swung it forward in a large arc, throwing the stone across the surface. The pebble made a line of ripples as it skimmed over the water surface, before finally plopping into the water.

Trying her best to mimic the black-haired boy's actions, Seiko threw her own stone, but it went straight into the water. "Ah…Dang…" She frowned at the ripple on the water surface.

Kyuuto laughed as he saw Seiko pout. He bent down and selected another pebble, before standing up again. Using his right hand to hold the pebble up, Kyuuto guided Seiko's fingers around the pebble properly. "Right, like that. Now, bend your legs as much as you can, but don't squat. You'd want to angle your wrist a little so that it doesn't go straight into the water…" He instructed as he shifted her arms gently. "Okay, try…ow!" He yelped before he could step away from Seiko. The latter's hand collided into the side of his jaw, and pain exploded through the right side of his face before it was replaced with a throbbing pain and a certain amount of numbness.

"Sorry!" Seiko shouted, but an amused smile still covered her face. "I swung too early." Kyuuto raised his hand to rub the dark bruise as he stared at her, unimpressed.

"Way to ruin the moment." He huffed. "Jeez." He walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, his hand still resting on his cheek lightly. Seiko followed, and sat down beside him quietly. There was a short moment of silence, before Kyuuto spoke.

"Nice sunset, huh?" He whispered as he gazed at the horizon.

"Yeah." Seiko replied.

"Would be nice if I could see it from home."

"I can. Sometimes my siblings and I sit outside for a few minutes to watch the sun go down." Seiko said.

"For me, whenever I'm free, I would come down here to watch." Kyuuto sighed. "Too bad it lasts for such a short period of time."

"My brother Kei came up with a silly little tradition for the four of us, about two years ago." Seiko smiled gently at the thought of her youngest brother. "Every time we look at the setting sun, in our minds, we would make a wish."

Kyuuto smiled in amusement. "Why the sun?" He asked.

"He used to think that the sun was a gigantic shooting star. We tried to convince him, but he didn't believe us at that point."

"Well, it is a star, but not a shooting star."

Seiko nodded, and continued. "Kei knows now that the sun isn't a wishing star, but we'd still make our wishes every once in a while."

"Must be nice having a family, huh," Kyuuto looked up at the orange sky, smiling gently.

"Well, then, make a wish." Seiko pointed at the sun excitedly. "Wish that you could find your family soon."

"Not possible." Kyuuto replied with despondent confidence.

"Family doesn't necessarily mean that you have to related by blood." Seiko said. "Family can also mean the people whom you want to protect." When Kyuuto simply kept silent, Seiko shook him firmly. "Come on! It's the legendary, ancient Shinohara Wishing Ritual you're using now! Even the great Shinohara Seiko is giving you permission to use it!"

Kyuuto turned to the girl, a smile evident on his face. "All right then, Shinohara-_sama_." He saluted her quickly with two fingers, and continued. "Well then, teach me the ways of the Ritual you were speaking of, milady."

"Just put your hands together, close your eyes, and wish." Seiko smiled broadly. "It's ninety-five percent working!"

"What happened to the remaining five percent?"

"Go on," Seiko insisted, pretending as if she never heard his words. "The sun's going down fast." Kyuuto grinned, and shifted his gaze to the sun as he placed is hands together. Closing his eyes, he let a single thought occupy his mind. He waited for a few seconds, before reopening his eyes again.

"Thanks…for spending time with me." He smiled softly as he looked at the stone pavement under his feet. "It's not often that I get to do this." He turned to look at the brunette beside him, but stopped completely as he felt someone else's lips on his own. The contact was brief, but it still made him feel stunned.

Seiko pulled back after pecking the boy on the mouth, barely keeping any eye contact with him. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I just…wanted to confirm something."

"Con…firm…?" Kyuuto whispered. "What…is there to…?"

"I wanted to confirm if I loved you more than Naomi." She answered. "I've been…doing all those things to her as a more…childish side of me. I used to feel that…maybe she would eventually understand that I liked her, or maybe I would gradually forget about my crush on my own best friend. When you joined our school, our class, and finally, our group, that feeling seemed to be more focused on you. The way you would always be so nice to me even though I would…I would…"

"I'll still go with you to the mall." Kyuuto interjected. "I know that you still want to tell her about your feelings."

"But…"

"You said that you wanted to confirm your feelings, right? It wouldn't be fair if you decide to be with me without verifying with Nakashima." Kyuuto said genuinely. "And if you do choose me…then I'd want you to think about it…hard." Seiko nodded her head slowly in reply, puzzled.

He gave a small smile to the girl beside him, and placed a hand on her head gently. _Because I'm not who you think I am._

* * *

Sorry for making Shig look bad, but Satoshi is too peaceful, and Yoshiki...has improved for the better, maybe I dunno. *shrugs* Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! If possible, tell me what you think of the story so far, and if there is any more room for improvement! :)

Lucis


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Corpse Party or any of its characters. Only my OC, Orihara Kyuuto, belongs to me.**

**Warning: There will be a short fighting scene in this chapter, and I was quite detailed at one point, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, please skip that bit. Consider yourself warned.**

* * *

"Well, here we are." Kyuuto said as they stopped outside Seiko's house. "Guess…I'll see you tomorrow, huh?"

"Yep." Seiko nodded. "I'll text you once I get Naomi's reply."

"Yeah, goodnight." He smiled down at her. "Don't sleep too late."

"I should be saying that." Seiko giggled.

"Nee-chan?" A small voice asked as the main door of Seiko's house clicked open slowly.

"Ah, Yuu!" Seiko turned and smiled at her brother.

"Who…wait…" Yuu narrowed his eyes at Kyuuto. "Aren't you the guy that Nee-chan punched last time?"

"Way to put it, kid." The older male frowned slightly at the remark.

"He's my classmate now." Seiko explained while holding back a laugh. "Walked me home."

"Huh." Yuu switched his gaze onto Kyuuto. "Well, thanks, for walking my sis home…Ah…"

"Orihara Kyuuto." The boy introduced himself briefly.

"Orihara-san." Yuu finished and returned back into the house as he gave a small wave.

"How old is he?"

"Oh, you mean Yuu?" Seiko asked, and in reply, Kyuuto nodded.

"Ten."

"He's…quite mature for his age." Kyuuto commented. "If I was any younger than him, I'd probably make him my role model."

"What, not me?" Seiko teased.

"Hah," Kyuuto snorted mockingly. "If I made you my role model…then I'd undoubtedly be as perverted as you."

"_Almost_ as perverted." Seiko grinned. "Anyways, it's late, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah," The boy smiled and turned to leave. "See ya."

"'Night." Seiko answered and returned back into her house as he walked out of the metal gate, and shut it softly. His mind was filled with different ideas to diminish his boredom.

_Home? Nah, there's nothing to do._ He glanced up at the dark sky, dotted scarcely with stars. _Would be nice to pick a fight, but then again…who can I target?_ He glanced around the street, but there was barely anyone out on the street right now. _Maybe I'll check the alleys? I could find a few good fights. Too bad Yoshiki's stopped with the whole street-fighting. He might have been able to give me a few names._ He sighed. If Ayumi ever found out about this side of him, he was pretty much dead. Yoshiki had told him about the long lecture that Ayumi gave him the second time she caught him smoking, and he wasn't even given toilet breaks. Apparently the blonde collapsed to the floor when he tried to stand again, since his legs were so numb he could barely move them.

Suddenly, a yell broke his thoughts abruptly, causing him to stumble slightly in surprise. _Eh?_ His nose twitched ever so slightly at a familiar scent. _…Yoshiki?_ Worry immediately urged him into a run. Kyuuto followed the trail, into a faintly lit alley. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw his friend, but it disappeared as soon as he saw him fighting a group of males, their age ranging from their age to older men. Blood, cuts and bruises covered his face and body, but his grey eyes remained focused on the incoming attacks. Judging by the way he threw his assaults, Yoshiki was angry. Enraged, even. Kyuuto ran forward, and as he did, another small group of four created a semi-circle on one side of a dumpster. He frowned at them, until he caught a glimpse of light, brown hair. Together with the scent barely clinging onto its owner's body, Kyuuto was sure that this boy was Satoshi. A clawed hand shot out and grabbed the back collar of an attacker. Kyuuto felt his victim's body tense up, just before he swung the body and took out two other foes. The last attacker growled as he stopped his assault on Satoshi, turning to face Kyuuto. The latter frowned as he took in the man's features. The main thing that took Kyuuto's attention was the man's glazed eyes, almost leaving him full of openings. The enemy threw a punch towards Kyuuto's face quickly. _Crap!_ He panicked slightly and instinctively raised his hand to block it, successfully.

_Too bad Satoshi's unconscious and Yoshiki's busy. Otherwise, I'd have looked pretty awesome._ He laughed mentally at himself for that thought. Accidentally letting a stupid grin take over his features, the other man frowned, taken off guard. Finding a momentary opening, Kyuuto thought of a quick counterattack, and twisted his body, delivering a kick to the opponent's stomach, the impact dislodging the latter's shoulder. Pulling the other male's fist backwards, Kyuuto leaned forward and slammed his forehead against the enemy's, knocking him out. He quickly turned to Satoshi, who was also covered in wounds, except it was worse than Yoshiki, due to his inexperience in fighting. "You okay?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.

Satoshi nodded weakly in response. "I'm…f-fine…just…go help…Yoshiki!" He barely squeezed those words out as pain exploded in his neck. Nodding, Kyuuto ran towards the mentioned blonde, harshly shoving away the obstacles in his way.

"Heard you needed help." Kyuuto skidded to a stop and shifted into a fighting stance.

"Yep." Yoshiki forced a pained grin as he took out other gang member.

"…There's something wrong. You know that, right?" Kyuuto spoke as he fought.

"Yeah. Their eyes." Yoshiki grunted. "Take them out quickly. Instantly. Some of these people are my friends."

"You got it." Kyuuto replied, delivering a hard punch to a young man's temple.

"Then again, they keep getting up."

"Find the 'mother'."

"What?"

"The person who is giving the orders. He or she would look different, so it shouldn't be too hard." Kyuuto explained quickly.

"You mean that one?" Yoshiki focused his gaze briefly on a rather large man, engulfed in translucent crimson flames.

"Yep!" Kyuuto grinned as he caught sight of the target. "Think you can handle the small fry?"

"Since you put it that way, then yeah." Yoshiki grinned as he stopped an incoming punch. "Go get the dude!" Kyuuto nodded in reply, and dashed out, picking up a plastic bottle from the ground. He tossed the object at the possessed man's head, earning a low groan from him. The latter turned his head slowly as a smirk formed on his face. There was a short moment of silence, before the man made his way towards Kyuuto. A punch flew towards the latter, but Kyuuto caught it once more. _The faster I finish him, the faster Yoshiki can stop, and then we can help Satoshi._ Grasping the clenched fist in his smaller hand, Kyuuto flipped the hand over, twisting the arm connected to it along as well. Without wasting any more time, he bent his right leg, and brought it harshly and quickly upwards into the arm, breaking the man's bone. A solid, white slender object was forced out of the layer of flesh and skin, jutting out of the pale surface, together with a spurt of blood. Making use of the chance, Kyuuto continued, and delivered a kick to the man's head. Releasing a cry of agony, the flames on the latter quickly extinguished, and he fell limply to the ground, unconscious. Following him, his minions fell to the earth as well, and Yoshiki released a slow breath as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve, then giving Kyuuto a smile.

"Good job! Although…" Yoshiki smiled nervously. "You didn't have to break his arm."

"Doesn't matter." Kyuuto answered. "It's already healed."

"What?" The blonde frowned and looked back at the man. Sure enough, the broken arm had reverted back to normal. It was as if it never broke. "…" Yoshiki stiffened at the sight of something he knew he was not supposed to see. "You…might want to keep your tail."

"What?!" Kyuuto yelped and reached back, trying to find his tail. Fear surged through him as he felt the dark fur that belonged to his tail. It wasn't wrapped around his chest and torso anymore. _Argh! Kyuuto you idiot! Just because you could fight doesn't mean that you could relax!_ He scolded himself mentally.

"Hey…" Yoshiki began, but the taller boy was still biting his thumb's nail and walking in circles.

"Oy…" The blonde repeated.

"Oy."

"ANSWER ME GODDAMNIT!" Yoshiki yelled and smacked his friend on the head. Kyuuto reeled back in surprise and pain as he felt the contact. Holding his hands over the bump on his head, Kyuuto frowned. Yoshiki ignored the gesture and cleared his throat. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Hah?" Kyuuto let a dumb sound escape his lips.

"I mean…that I now know who you are…and I don't mind."

"You…don't…mind…?" Kyuuto stuttered in disbelief.

"I don't, either." Satoshi called weakly as he neared them, grasping his stomach. "As long as you remain being our friend."

Kyuuto's eyes widened in surprise as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "Hey, don't tell me that the person who just brutally broke someone's arm is going to cry for something like this." Yoshiki teased.

"Hah," Kyuuto smiled and wiped his tears away. "As if." He gave them a toothy grin. "Let's get you somewhere safe, Satoshi." He walked forward and placed Satoshi's left arm over his back.

"But where?" Yoshiki asked as he did the same to Satoshi's right arm.

"My place is nearby, and it has a back door, so it should be fine." Kyuuto answered, and began walking, leading his two friends down the alley.

* * *

"You guys can take a seat on my bed." Kyuuto pointed to the second door as he locked the first. "I'll go get something for you guys to eat." He trotted to his kitchen, and managed to find a few sandwiches in his refrigerator. He quickly placed them onto a plate, and into the oven.

"Are sandwiches okay for you guys?" He called.

"Yeah!" Yoshiki answered. Kyuuto nodded slightly to himself, and set the timer, before walking out into the main room.

"Where's the first aid kit?" Yoshiki asked as he looked up from examining Satoshi's wounds. The latter was already fast asleep, so even if his own clothes brushed against his wounds, the sting would not be enough to wake him.

"No need for that." Kyuuto walked over and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. A blue glow engulfed his hand, and Yoshiki immediately felt his muscles relax, and the stinging pain of his wounds cease gradually.

"Thanks!" He said once Kyuuto's hand left his shoulder. A grunt escaped the former's lips as a throbbing pain was felt in his head, making Yoshiki worry. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah…just…a little headache. It's a small price to pay for this, don't worry." Kyuuto said, and moved onto Satoshi. "Once I'm finished with Satoshi, I may lose consciousness, so feel free to stay over. You can borrow my clothes for tomorrow." The dark-haired boy glanced at the splotches of blood on his two friends' uniforms, then placing his hand on Satoshi's wrist. Another teal glow formed, and Satoshi's wounds closed, as his shallow breathing became deep, relaxed breaths.

* * *

"Morning, Orihara, Mochida…and Kishinuma-kun?" Ayumi stared at the blonde in confusion. "What are you doing here so early?"

"It's not that early." Yoshiki replied as he settled down at his desk.

"For you, it is!" Ayumi ran forward and placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you sick? Do you need to go home? Or maybe the infirmary?"

"No! I don't!" Yoshiki huffed.

"Eh?" Naomi frowned as she examined the delinquent. "Is it just me, or Mochida-kun and Kishinuma's clothes are a little larger than normal?"

"Ah…! No! It's just your imagination!" Satoshi cried out, but it didn't work for Seiko. She grabbed Satoshi's collar from the back and inspected the size tag as he choked.

"Wha…! It's the same size as Orihara-kun!" She screamed, making the three boys cringe. The girl then made for Yoshiki, who tried to escape, but Ayumi stuck out her foot to trip him, then proceeding to sit on his back. "SAME SIZE!" Seiko announced after Ayumi pulled the collar for the former to examine. Her cat grin gradually appeared on her face as he glanced at Kyuuto.

"What were the three of you doing last night?" She asked cheekily.

"No, it's just…that their clothes got dirty, so I had to lend them some of mine!"

"Dirty…with what?"

"Bl–!" Kyuuto hesitated. "Blueberry juice! We were at a café and then a waiter pushed and toppled the juice. Yep."

"Then, are you telling me that all _I'd_ have to do, is to 'accidentally' spill blueberry juice over myself, then you'd lend me some of your clothes?"

"Y-yeah," Kyuuto blushed as the girl gave him a flirtatious grin.

"Noted." Seiko grinned. "Well, let's go, then. It's Physical Education now, isn't it?"

* * *

"Okay, let's do this!" Kyuuto announced as he held out four strips of paper. "Longest get lunch first, shortest gets lunch the last!"

Satoshi, Sakutaro, and Yoshiki nodded, and grabbed an individual strip each, and pulled. Among the three, Yoshiki got the longest, followed by Satoshi and Sakutaro. Kyuuto unclenched his fist, and found a strip equally as long as Yoshiki's.

"First!" Kyuuto cried out triumphantly, his voice echoing throughout the changing room.

"No, mine's longer!" Yoshiki shouted back. "See?" He held out the strip in front of him, but Kyuuto didn't even bother looking at it.

"Nope. Mine, is longer."

"Mine's longer!"

"Get real! Mine's longer!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!" Both sides growled as they fought, while on the other side of the wall, Seiko, Naomi, Ayumi, and Mayu, along with some other girls, overheard the screams.

"What the heck are they talking about?!" Ayumi cried out, a horrified look on her face.

"Duh, the length of their p–!" Seiko crossed her arms and spoke, but was cut off by Naomi as she grabbed Seiko's neatly folded uniform and stuffed it against her face, muffling her next words. After Seiko was released, she gave out a whine. "Naaaaoommiii! Why did you have to do that? I could've died!"

"But you didn't." Her best friend laughed.

"I still don't get why they would measure _those_." Ayumi sighed.

"Maybe we heard it wrong?" Mayu said as she folded her uniform neatly.

Seiko looked at the faces of her friends, all of which were deep in thought. "If you'd want, I could ask them for you."

"Ah…that's not a good idea." Mayu answered. "We'd rather not know."

"But I'd want to know." Seiko grinned. "Especially Orihara."

"HAH!" Ayumi cried and pointed at Seiko. "You really _do_ like him!"

"Yeah, so?" Seiko gave the other girl a confused expression. "He knows that I do as well."

"Then, why are the two of you…" Mayu said.

"Not together?" Seiko finished for her. "Orihara promised to do something with me. After that, depending on the situation, I'd have to make a choice between him and someone else. If I choose him, then he said that it would be better if I thought about it properly." The brunette explained. "Oh yeah, Naomi. Are you free this weekend? Wanna shop for stuff at the mall?"


	8. Chapter 8

"The mall?" Naomi repeated. "I'm fine with it…but when do you want to go?" She asked as Seiko adjusted her folded uniform and placed it back to its original place.

"After school, tomorrow? It's Tuesday today, right?" Seiko asked.

"I'm…busy on that day. How about Thursday?" Naomi answered as they began to head out of the room. "We have to prepare for the Cultural Festival on Friday." Seiko gave her a thumbs up, accompanied with a broad grin.

"Eh…?" Ayumi whined softly. "What about Suzumoto-san and I?"

"It's a best friend trip!" Seiko said as they began walking towards their PE teacher. "It's best friends only!"

"Aww," Ayumi crossed her arms together and pouted.

"Hey," Satoshi greeted as he walked up beside them, followed by Sakutaro, who simply nodded, acknowledging the four girls' presence silently.

"Where are Kishinuma and Orihara?" Mayu asked as she glanced around, and found them before anyone could reply. The two boys were still fighting over the strips of paper, but of course, none of the girls knew that.

"Why the heck are they fighting, anyway?"

"We drew straws in the changing room to see who would be the first to get lunch. Now they're fighting over who's first, since the length of their strips of paper are pretty much the same." Sakutaro explained.

Ayumi, Naomi and Mayu released the breath that they had been unconsciously holding, closing their eyes in relief. "Whhaaatttt?" Seiko whined. "And here we thought that they were measuring the length–!" Three hands were slapped over her mouth, and her friends dragged her away from the two confused boys.

"ShuddupSeiko." Naomi gave the shorter brunette a stiff smile as Seiko struggled.

"Hey, we are the girls going? What are they doing to Shinohara?" Kyuuto asked as he walked up to Satoshi. The latter shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know."

"Girls are weird." Yoshiki muttered to himself, raising a hand to scratch the side of his head.

* * *

"I'm first!"

"No, I am!" Both boys scowled at each other as they shoved each other childishly.

"Settle it now!" Sakutaro shouted, his patience running thin. "Just do rock, paper, scissors! Is that so hard?!" Both boys gulped fearfully at the sudden outburst. Quickly, they put their hands out in front of themselves. Kyuuto pulled out a rock, while Yoshiki pulled out …paper.

"Damn it!" Kyuuto cursed. "Ugh."

"Too bad." Yoshiki smirked, and grabbed a tray.

"Why are they even fighting over something so petty? Aren't the lunches pretty much the same?" Mayu whispered to her lover.

"Don't know. They can be idiots sometimes." Sakutaro replied as he walked forward to retrieve his meal. As he did so, Kyuuto continued scowling at Yoshiki as they walked to their table. Setting his tray down, the black-eyed boy took his seat beside Seiko.

"Orihara-kun?"

"Hm?" Kyuuto replied, keeping his gaze at a particular blonde.

"Naomi said that she'll be free this Thursday," That sentence made him turn and look at the brunette. "So are you free on that day?"

"Yeah," Kyuuto nodded. "When are you guys gonna begin?"

"Around…two." Seiko said, and leaned forward to the boy's ear. "We can't let Naomi know that you're there as well." Kyuuto kept silent, urging her to continue. "It'll be really awkward. So, could you wait for me somewhere? I'll meet you once we're done."

"Wait for you to finish shopping? How long will it take? Two hours?" Kyuuto asked, frowning.

"Maybe."

"I can't wait for two hours!"

"Okay, okay, I'll call you when we're just about done." Seiko replied while rubbing her ears.

"Promise?"

"Promise…now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking your cheese sausages…'cuz I'm feeling kinda peckish and…"

"Gah! No! You have your own food!" The boy cried out and stabbed both sausages with his fork quickly, preventing Seiko from taking his favorite food in the entire tray. The amber-eyed girl shot him a disappointed look, causing a feeling of guilt to form in his throat. "…You can have my caramel pudding." He said hesitantly.

"Aw, thanks!" She smirked triumphantly and seized the dessert from his tray.

* * *

_Orihara?_

…

_Orihara._

…

_Orihara!_

Kyuuto jerked up from his desk, before grimacing at the fogginess of his vision. "…Wha…what?"

"Are you back on this side of the universe?" The teacher frowned at him as his vision cleared.

"Uh…yeah, yeah. Sorry."

"One more time, and you'll be sent for detention." The teacher warned, pushing her glass further up her nose.

"Y-yes ma'am." Giving him a curt nod, the teacher turned around swiftly, continuing her lesson.

"You okay?" Satoshi asked, not holding back a small smile.

"Sleepy." Kyuuto yawned, tears gathering at the sides of his eyes. Beside him, a soft snicker caught his attention. "It's not funny." He shot Yoshiki a glare and kicked the leg of blonde's table.

"Not to you, at least." He smirked. Kyuuto huffed and turned back to the front of the classroom.

"Shut up."

* * *

Kyuuto strolled out of the school gate, his hands shoved into his pockets. He glanced up at the orange sky, blowing a stray lock of hair from his face as he did so.

As he passed shops, restaurants, and cafés, he found families enjoying their time together, making him realize that he hasn't been thinking about his parents for the past few days, at all. Every time he walked down this road, he would always be with someone, or his mind would be occupied, thinking about something. As he passed, a melancholic expression took over his features. Those memories of his parents…the one where he witnessed his mother's death…it felt unreal. Fake. Even the other one, where the two people on the bed, felt fuzzy. And it was confusing him, making him doubt that he truly experienced his past. Kyuuto shook his head from those thoughts. Of course he did experience his past, right? The pain was real; at least, it felt real. Then again, if it weren't, then that would mean his mother was still alive, somewhere…maybe even his father was still alive. A faint image of his mother filled his mind, but he could barely remember anything about her features anymore.

Were both his parents born as demons as well? Or maybe, just one of them? But if that were the case, then he would be a half-breed, right? He frowned to himself at the overwhelming amount of questions that filled his head. Demons were meant to be evil. They were supposed to mess up human lives, and maybe even kill those people in the end. So why is he friends with a group of beings who were destined to be his victims?

A dejected sigh escaped his mouth. Currently, Ayumi, Yoshiki, and Satoshi knew his occult secret, leaving Naomi, Mayu, Sakutaro, and…Seiko. He needed for her to think about going into a relationship with him. She doesn't know who he is, and even Kyuuto himself did not know what he was capable of once he loses control. If only he could be more assured that he could keep himself under control. A familiar feeling rushed over the area around his eyes, and Kyuuto immediately covered them with his hand, leaving a tiny gap between his fingers for him to see. If he couldn't even control it when his eyes turned blue…

…Then how can he protect those precious to him?

The tingling sensation finally ceased from his eyes, allowing him to remove his hand. Catching his reflection on a nearby street mirror, he found that his eyes were back to his original coal-black. Resisting the urge rub his eyes, he furrowed his brows in discomfort. Picking up his pace, he walked briskly back to his apartment, ignoring almost everything around him in an attempt to get home before anyone of his demonic traits revealed themselves again. On the way up to his apartment, he stretched his legs a little further than usual, skipping a stair with every stride.

As soon as he stepped into his home and locked the door, Kyuuto unwrapped his tail from his body, forcefully stretching it with his hand in an attempt to get rid of the aching pain. He gave out a short sigh as he released his tail and allowed it to sway gently behind him.

"Well," he muttered to himself. _Just another typical day, huh? _He strode over to the fridge, only to find out that there was no instant slash ready-made food. He groaned lazily, and went to check his cupboard. Still nothing. It wasn't his first time facing a problem like this, and he could go out to the convenience store, but worry locked him home. _Never mind._ He snorted and plopped himself lazily onto his bed. Shutting his eyes involuntarily, he willed himself to go to sleep, not bothering to turn off the lights.

* * *

Ayumi frowned as she scrolled through the fiftieth page of the online blog of Niwa Aiko. Sure, it was posted last year, but all that scrolling was starting to make her finger ache. _Sachiko-san of…happiness…_ She repeated in her mind as she clicked on the 'Next' button. Just hours before, an amazing idea popped into her head. Since Kyuuto wasn't a part of their group last year, and that he never did the charm with them, why not add him in? She was sure no one would object, and the school festival was coming up soon, so it could like a small event to 'renew' the charm's powers. "Ah!" She smiled as her eyes landed on the blog post. Shifting her mouse, she clicked on the highlighted title, and was brought to a new page. She brought the white arrow over the 'Download' button, and clicked it. A new window popped out, and she quickly chose the 'Print' button on a small menu.

As the printer noisily did its job, Ayumi read the blog post once more, to refresh her memory. "Gather in a circle around this paper proxy, each person gripping it wherever they can. Participants must now invoke Sachiko's name by chanting the phrase, 'Sachiko, we beg of you.' This phrase should be repeated numerous times – specifically, once for each person in attendance…?" Ayumi bit her lip lightly. "It's different from before." She scanned through the passage once more, and confirmed that the instructions had clearly changed. "Weird." She whispered. "I guess it can't be too bad…we did it last year, and it went fine, so there shouldn't be any difference, right?"

* * *

Kyuuto grunted as a loud ringing irritated his ears, silently swearing that one day that clock would go out the window. Raising his right arm, he slapped the snooze button hard, half hoping that his strength could dent the stupid gadget enough, so that it would never ring again. Of course, it will never work, since Naho asked for the sturdiest clock in the entire shop, and even went ahead to modify the damn thing. He raised a clumsy hand to rub his eyes, not attempting to get up, yet. The pure softness of his pillow, mattress, and blanket seemed so enticing, luring him back to sleep. Reluctantly, Kyuuto managed to pull himself out of bed, and drag himself to the toilet. He fumbled for his toothbrush as his other hand maladroitly grabbed the toothpaste. He drew his lips back, and snorted in surprise at his teeth. His canines were sharp. It's not that it was never sharp, but it was more obvious now. He pressed the end of his tongue onto the sharp tip of his canine. A small sting ran down his mouth, and was convinced that this was not a bad prank. He gazed at his reflection on the mirror in front of him. _At least my eyes aren't blue yet._ He told himself, and began to brush his teeth.

* * *

"Hello? Naho, you there?" Kyuuto spoke into his phone as he walked down the street, chewing on a croissant.

"_What does it sound like?"_ Naho huffed on the other end. Clearly, she wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Yeah, nice talking to you too."

"_Just talk,"_ Naho grumbled on the other end. _"I don't have all day."_

"Yeah, well." Kyuuto began, but paused, not knowing how to start off. "You see…I was brushing my teeth this morning, and I realized that my canines actually got sharper."

"…" There was silence on the other end for a moment. _"What about your eyes? Ears?"_

"They're fine, so far." The boy paused to take another bite out of his croissant. "Buft ayem rily wurreyd taht aye cahn't hyde dem wen dey apyear."

"_Swallow."_ Naho ordered. Kyuuto chewed for a few more moments, before swallowing.

"I mean that I'm really worried that I can't hide them when they appear."

"_For your eyes, maybe some contacts can help."_

"I don't have enough cash." Kyuuto replied bluntly.

"_At least you can hide something."_

"Any idea why this is happening?" Kyuuto changed the subject, not wanting to talk about money. He was working as an unofficial assistant for both Naho and Sayaka, receiving his pay every time they needed his help, but these days, there wasn't any thing for him to help out with.

Naho grunted in annoyance._ "Maybe it's your instincts. Or your demonic teenage hormones."_

"Rather not think about the last one." Kyuuto sighed, and Naho chuckled in response. "Wait…I have demonic teenage—."

Naho interjected curtly, cutting him off. _"Either your instincts are picking up on something bad, like supernatural charms that utilizes dark magic,"_ Naho stopped for a moment. _"Or that you're just damn frustrated."_

"Frustrated?" Kyuuto repeated, before throwing the remaining bread into his mouth.

"_Sexually frustrated."_ Naho giggled.

"Shut up." Kyuuto snorted.

"_It is true, with you not confessing and all."_

"I did."

"_Really?"_ Naho asked, skeptical.

"It's just not in the way I expected it to be."

"_Explain."_

"Opps." Kyuuto laughed nervously. "Reached school. Call you later."

"_You never call me to continue a conversation."_

"Yeah, you're right." Kyuuto said. "So, bye, maybe text me or something."

"_Fine, now go."_ Naho huffed and hung up. Removing the black mobile phone from his cheek, Kyuuto tapped a button, before sliding his phone into his pant pocket.

"Hey, Kyuuto!" A voice called out to him from the back. Tilting his head up a little, Kyuuto turned his face to his extreme left, and shifted his eyes to the left as well, looking back. Satoshi ran up to him, a broad smile on his face. The brunette glanced down, much to Kyuuto's confusion. "Hey, don't be rude. Go on." Satoshi smiled down kindly at something. _What is he doing, did he bring a pet dog or something…oh._ A bewildered look crossed his features as he locked his coal-black eyes with light blue.

"Ah…um…" A small, shy voice spoke. Mustering up all her confidence, the owner of the pair of blue eyes and adorable voice blurted out her next words. "Nice to meet you! My name is Mochida Yuka! Thank you for taking care of my big brother!"

* * *

A/N**(EDITED)**: Finally added Yuka into the story! Yayyy! XD Now, is whether or not I should put lil Yuka in danger. She_ is_ one of the main characters in the original Corpse Party, after all. Yet, I don't want her to be exposed to danger, although I can't let her go unscathed. Let me know in a PM or something. Either she stays safe, or plunges into danger. I'll let you guys know about the deadline in a future chapter, not sure when, but soon. Until then, go ahead and vote. :) Again, I don't own Corpse Party, and anything else. Only Orihara Kyuuto belongs to me.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh, uh," Kyuuto mumbled, taken aback by the sudden outburst. A smile finally settled on his face, calming himself as well. "Nice to meet you, Yuka. Can I call you that?" Yuka nodded, her hands clasped in front of her, and her cheeks were in a light shade of pink.

"My name is Orihara Kyuuto." He introduced himself. Yuka cocked her head slightly, with a slight frown on her face.

"Orihara…san?" Yuka spoke, testing the words on her tongue.

"That's fine too." Kyuuto nodded, before turning to Satoshi. "Why'd you bring her to school today?"

"She wanted to fetch me to school for once." Satoshi smiled. "And when she's made up her mind, she's pretty stubborn." The older Mochida laughed, and turned to his sister. "Okay, now that I'm here, you go to school. Text me once you're there." Yuka nodded in affirmation, and trotted off. "And be careful when you cross the road!" Satoshi called after her, craning his neck to keep his sister within sight.

"Okay!" Yuka cried back after twisting quickly around a corner. Her brother released a short sigh; closing his eyes he did so. Silently, he smiled as he motioned for Kyuuto begin walking just as the former placed a foot forward. The two of them walked along the halls, eventually beginning to chat about various subjects, with Satoshi occasionally pulling out his phone to check for a text from his younger sibling.

They stepped into the classroom, and immediately began to head for their desks, setting their first priority to placing their bags at their usual places. "Orihara-kun! Mochida-kun!" A familiar, cheery voice called. Both boys turned around to see Seiko prancing towards them, her left hand covered in a piece of white cloth, held down by some round, bright yellow biscuits. Kyuuto frowned at the food's looks and scent. "Want some?" Seiko offered, grinning widely.

"What's that?" Satoshi furrowed his brows while poking the biscuits.

"Banana!" The amber-eyed girl replied.

"Are you sure?" Kyuuto folded his arms together with a skeptical look on his face.

"Sure!" Seiko said, and stretched her arm forward. "Take one!" Hesitantly, Kyuuto picked one out, and popped it into his mouth. He began to chew slowly, and regretted even looking at the cursed biscuits. Slapping a hand over his mouth as tears gathered at the outer corner of his eyes, Kyuuto slammed a fist onto a nearby table, leaning his weight on it as the spicy taste took over his mouth.

"This…" He sputtered as his legs threatened to give way. "Is…" Satoshi knelt down, patting Kyuuto's back in a useless effort to help.

"SPARTA!" Seiko giggled.

"Mustard?" Yoshiki asked as he walked over. "I know. I was a victim just five minutes ago."

"Wa…water…" The boy wheezed feebly, reaching out his hands for any sort of liquid. Seiko stood at the side, still laughing at their pain. Kyuuto's gaze turned to the girl in an attempt to glare at her, but stopped when he saw a juice box in her other hand. Mustering up all of his remaining strength, the boy staggered up onto his feet, and lunged forward, grabbing the juice box off her hands.

"Hey!" Seiko squeaked as Kyuuto lifted the box up to his lips and chugged down its contents. After finishing, the latter let out a relieved sigh, wiping his mouth from any of the remaining fluids with the sleeve of his gakuran.

"No thanks to you," He snorted at Seiko, tossing the empty box into a nearby dustbin. He walked away, gradually stopping himself from being upset at Seiko. That is, until she said something.

"You do know that you just indirectly kissed me, right?" She giggled, causing the boy stumble, followed by a series of loud crashes.

As Kyuuto picked himself up painfully while covering his sore nose with a free hand, Ayumi walked into the classroom, carrying a large stack of worksheets, much to Yoshiki's dismay.

"Ayumi-san~!" Seiko called out to her friend, as she pranced towards the shorter girl. "Want some?" Seiko held out the cookies between them, and plastered the most innocent smile that she could do on her face.

"Sure!"

"Nope!" Grabbing Ayumi by the arm, Yoshiki pulled her away quickly. "Shinozaki. Don't touch those…drugs."

"I don't think these make you feel high," Seiko said, shifting her smile into a feigned frown.

"Just…don't touch them."

"Why?" Ayumi asked, staring into Yoshiki's grey eyes questioningly.

"If you want," Kyuuto said from behind Seiko. "Then get two gallons of milk and set it beside you. You'll need it." He warned, narrowing his eyes at the lingering taste.

"Do you need any milk?" Seiko asked, smirking. "I have some with me right now, if you want."

Kyuuto turned, staring straight at the girl. "You don't have any. I don't even see a box of…" His face turned red to the biggest extremes as soon as he found his eyes resting at a part of Seiko's body. "…Oh." Kyuuto gulped and took a step back. "N-no thanks. I'm fine. The taste is gone already, so…yeah." He forced out a smile, and twisted his body quickly, running back to his seat for all he was worth.

"Works every time." Seiko laughed as she recalled a time when she used the same tactic with Yuu. She walked away, leaving a red Yoshiki and clueless Ayumi behind.

* * *

Kyuuto frowned at the memory of the mustard cookie that Seiko gave him the day before, and quickly brought the straw connected to his milkshake to his lips, gulping it down quickly to extinguish the imaginary fiery taste in his mouth. Pulling his cellphone out from his pocket, he gazed that its screen, willing hopelessly for Seiko to call. Sighing, he placed his phone back into his pocket, and looked up, only to find two girls staring at him flirtatiously. He frowned, and got up from his seat, dumping his now empty cup of milkshake into a nearby trashcan._ Milk_shake_._ Feeling his face heat up at that thought, he raised both hands to slap himself on the sides of his face twice, before taking a step forward. Deciding to head to the clothes store that Seiko told him about, he walked up the steps of the elevator, even though there was no need to rush. Following a series of turns, he came to a stop outside his destination. He glanced into the shop, but there were no signs of Seiko or Naomi. Kyuuto took in a deep breath, coincidentally catching the scent of the two girls. He turned to the left, letting a smile grace his lips as he followed the scent.

Kyuuto came to stop a few moments after the two girls entered his sight, but he lost his grin, his features gradually becoming subdued. Naomi stared down at Seiko with a melancholic expression, while the latter just held her head down. Naomi's mouth opened as she said something, before sadly leaving he best friend. Kyuuto watched as Naomi left, but he remained clueless as to what to do. Should he go up to Seiko and comfort her? Or just keep and eye out for her and just follow quietly without her notice?

Kyuuto began pondering, but it wasn't long before Seiko called him.

"Shinohara?" Kyuuto said as he watched Seiko's mouth move as she spoke.

"_Orihara-kun…I-it's fine now. You can go home now. There's…no need…"_ She began, but sobs ended her sentence midway. Kyuuto hung up on the phone, and saw Seiko glance at hers in surprise. He walked up to her, and grabbed her wrist silently, leading her out of the mall. As he led her out, he debated with himself of where to bring the crying girl to. Definitely not to her house, since her family would pressure into telling them what happened. Of course, they would be doing it out of concern, but pressure on Seiko wasn't ideal right now. _The park? No. People would look at us, and that would mean pressure. Again._ Kyuuto sighed, unintentionally causing Seiko to sob more, without him noticing. In the end, he decided that his own apartment was the best place right now, so he took a right turn after walking to the end of the street that the mall was located on.

Without warning, the wrist held between Kyuuto's fingers yanked itself from his grasp abruptly, making him turn around to look at Seiko, who had thin lines of clear liquid running down her face. "Where are you taking me…?"

"My place."

"Why?"

"Because it's the best place that—."

"Why didn't you just leave me there?! I told you to go home! I don't need your company!" She snapped furiously. Kyuuto said nothing, and reached to grab Seiko's wrist in succession, but the latter pulled back once more, with Kyuuto's hand still holding on. Suddenly, Seiko raised her hand up to her face, and sunk her teeth into the side of Kyuuto's hand forcefully, allowing thin streams of thick red blood to move down the side of his hand, with pain shooting up his arm. Kyuuto flinched, but did not move. He waited for her to release her grip patiently, allowing her to vent her frustrations on his hand.

"I hate you." Seiko sniffed after she released him. "I hate you." She began punching his chest weakly as raindrops began falling from the grey sky, wetting both their hair, and causing the curls on Seiko's hair to straighten and rest on her shoulders. Kyuuto waited quietly as she slammed the sides of her fists onto his chest, holding back pained grunts as he stood. Eventually, exhaustion took over, causing her to lean onto his chest as she fell asleep.

"Shinohara?" Kyuuto spoke softly as the rain pelted down on their soaked bodies. Removing his gakuran, Kyuuto covered the sleeping girl with it, even though it was wet, but it was the best he could offer to at least to keep some water off her. Using his hands to shift the unconscious girl into position, he lifted her off the ground with his right arm supporting her back and his left arm supporting her legs. Quickly, he ran through the rain, careful as to not slip, and made it back safely into his apartment.

Setting Seiko down onto his bed, he looked at her drenched form, before heading for his closet to grab a dry shirt for her. As he walked back he wondered to himself how he would ever change her clothes, until the harsh reality hit him. He placed the shirt down onto the bedside table. Looking at Seiko reluctantly, Kyuuto shut his eyes tightly, before clumsily reaching for the bottom of the top of her uniform, pulling it up unwillingly. He froze momentarily the second his hand brushed against her skin, before continuing after ten seconds. Refusing to reopen his eyes, he reached for the other end of his blanket and pulled it over the girl. He cracked opened his eyes, and decided not to go for the skirt.

Kyuuto frowned at her drenched hair, and flicked his thumb and index finger together, allowing a small blue ball of fire to burn just above his index finger. "Don't wake up." He muttered softly. With his hand hovering just above Seiko's head, Kyuuto moved his hand across the slightly matted brown hair, drying it quickly. Lifting her head up with on hand, he dried the back of her head carefully, before setting it down.

Kyuuto looked at his wounded left hand, and was glad to see that the bite Seiko had given him had healed; leaving only dried blood on his hand. Not wanting to Seiko ask about his hand, he grabbed a roll of bandages from a nearby drawer. Standing up, he took a small glance at Seiko, before turning to the toilet, grabbing Seiko's uniform from the bed and his towel off a nearby chair as he went.

* * *

Unintentionally waking herself up with a soft sneeze, Seiko sniffed a little as she stirred awake.

"You up?"

Not responding to the voice, Seiko sat up and rubbed a clumsy hand over her face.

"Gah!" Remaining oblivious to her surroundings and the voice, Seiko heard someone fall off something, but did not move. "M-my shirt's right beside you! Put it on!" The voice demanded weakly. Seiko's vision cleared when her hand finally left her face, and found Kyuuto covering his eyes with one hand, and sticking out the other as if to block something from getting any closer while hiding behind a fallen chair. The girl simply laughed softly at the scene, until she realized at she wasn't wearing any sort of coverage except for her bra. She quickly scrambled for the white shirt that lay beside her as her face heated up for the first time in a long time. After pulling on the oversized shirt, a relieved sigh erupted from her lips as she buttoned it up.

"Thank goodness," Kyuuto stood up and pulled the wooden chair back up. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," Seiko nodded. Kyuuto cocked his head slightly, expectantly waiting for her to say something else. "I would like some soup, if that's fine."

"Uh," Kyuuto paused, "Is canned soup okay?" Seiko nodded and watched him enter the kitchen. She pulled the blanket off her body, and pushed herself off the bed, beginning to wander around the area aimlessly. For a guy, Kyuuto's apartment was actually considerably neat. Apart from the bed, it was quite tidy. What surprised her was that Kyuuto didn't have a computer, let alone a TV. How did he pass time without those? Her answer came almost immediately when she laid her eyes on a few books, and upon closer inspection, they were all lent from the local library. Set beside them was a first-aid kit. Since the top was made from transparent plastic, Seiko saw its contents rather easily. They were all barely used. The protective paper covers for the plasters were even turning brown. Frowning, Seiko walked to the small dining table, pulled out a chair and sat down. She pulled out her phone from her skirt pocket, and browsed through her messages. There were a few messages from a few classmates asking about homework, two from Yuu, and none from Naomi. Seiko sighed at the thought of her best friend. The amber-eyed girl never expected that she would take it so badly when Naomi said that she wasn't interested in that kind of a relationship with her.

Trying to get Naomi off her mind, Seiko opened a new text message and texted Yuu, telling him that she would be staying at a friend's place for the night. Of course, she didn't tell him whose house she was staying over at, since Yuu would definitely tell their father if she said it was Kyuuto's apartment. Hopefully the latter wouldn't mind her staying over for the night.

She tapped the 'Send' button, and it wasn't long before Kyuuto came out with a bowl full of soup in his hand.

"Here." He said as he set it down in front of her, before pulling out a chair beside her.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Kyuuto nodded.

"Ne, Orihara-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if I stayed over today?"

"Y-yeah, it's fine," Kyuuto nodded frantically with his face red. Seiko gave him a small smile when he did that. She had always found that reaction cute, and it reminded her of her younger siblings when she teased them sometimes. "Do you...need some pants or something? You'll need your uniform for tomorrow, and I've already got your top dry..."

"Did you like it?" Seiko put on her cat grin as she asked that question.

"Like what?"

"When you saw me without my top."

"No! I wasn't even looking! I closed my eyes okay? I didn't see anything!" He yelped as his face turned into an even darker shade of red.

Seiko laughed, until she saw Kyuuto's bandaged hand. "Sorry."

"Hah? What?"

"For biting you."

"So, she said no, huh?" Seiko nodded quietly.

"I'm sorry to say this, but before you say anything, I really really need you to–."

"Think about it? Why?" Seiko asked, feeling frustration boiling up inside her. "Why do I have to think about it?"

"Because I'm not–."

"Interested in you?!" Seiko interjected furiously.

"No, I–."

"You didn't like me in that way from the start, and you wanted to accompany me when I confessed to Naomi so that you could see if we ended up together, and if we did then hooray for you, huh?! If we didn't, then you'd just try and tell me slowly that you weren't interested in me and just leave me, right?!"

"No, it's because I'm not who you think I am!"

"Yeah, that's right, because I thought that you were a really nice and cute guy, but in the end you're just a total bastard!"

"Stop it, just listen to me–!" Kyuuto began, but was cut off again.

"No, I will not listen to you! You're just another guy like Eiji! No, you're even worse than him!" Seiko snapped.

"Just listen–!"

_"You deserve to have your parents taken away from you!"_ She shouted, her eyes full of accusing rage.

"No, fuck, don't bring my parents into this–." Kyuuto felt grief and anger building up inside him and willed himself to hold back.

_"They were taken away because the universe knew that you're an asshole that didn't deserve them!"_

"_Don't fucking bring my parents into this!"_ Kyuuto snarled. _"They have nothing to do with this!"_

Seiko stopped, but it didn't stop her from feeling enraged.

"The reason I accompanied you isn't because of that stupid accusation that you came up with!" Kyuuto roared. _"It's because I wanted to be there for you! It's because **I fucking love you!**"_

* * *

That was on heck of an ending for a chapter, huh? XD Sorry for the late update, but my exams are coming up next week, so I need to study more and there are tons of remedial lessons. I'll try to complete the next chapter as soon as possible, but it may take sometime. Urghhh I'm the worse at Maths and History! Anyways, I don't own anything in this fanfic, except for the story and Orihara Kyuuto, my OC.

Lucis


	10. Chapter 10

Kyuuto averted his gaze as Seiko stared at him silently in shock. He clenched his fists tightly, scolding himself for shouting at her. He had never thought that someone like Seiko would say all that to him, but she did. Still, all that anger and rage towards the latter was gone now. Now he couldn't help but feel mad at himself for his own actions.

Seiko looked at the black-haired boy in front of her in surprise. She had known about his feelings for her for some time now, so why was she so stunned after that outburst? Was it because Kyuuto glared at for the first time since they met? It felt like the right thing to do at that moment, to scream and vent her frustrations on Kyuuto. But now, like Kyuuto, she felt guilty.

She glanced up at him, and found his eyes blue. Just like that time–she had never understood why it turned blue, but no matter how much she thought, and it really baffled her. Was it some kind of disease, or maybe some injury? No, the last one didn't seem possible…or was it his lineage? Something inherited for one or both of his parents?

Seiko shook her head. She couldn't think of this right now. She had to apologize. "I'm sorry," She bit her lip as Kyuuto looked at her straight into her eyes with his deep blue eyes. "I shouldn't have said all those mean things to you."

"I'm…sorry, too," Kyuuto said. "I shouldn't have given you the wrong idea."

"No, it was my fault."

"It was mine."

"Mine."

"Are we going to start fighting again?" Kyuuto allowed a small smile to cross his features as he grunted in amusement at Seiko's stubbornness.

"Wouldn't want that." Seiko curled the ends of her lips upwards in a small smile. There was a small moment of silence, until Seiko spoke. "By the way, your eyes are blue." She bit her lip to hold back a small chuckle as he slapped a hand over his eyes.

"W-what…?" Kyuuto swallowed. "Since when?"

"Since we ended the argument." Seiko grinned, and asked. "Why, though?"

"Ah…erm…I'm…I've got heterochromia!" Kyuuto waved his hands in front of him wildly. "Yup! Definitely!"

"I'm not stupid." Seiko spoke with a huff. Kyuuto blinked a few times, and as if he had willed it, the boy's eyes went back to its original coal-black.

"Well…I…don't feel too comfortable telling this to you…so maybe you could ask Shinozaki…?" Kyuuto raised a hand to his face and scratched his cheek nervously as he averted his gaze.

"Why can't you tell me yourself?" Seiko said, still inspecting his eyes.

"Ah…" Kyuuto uttered, not able to come up with an answer. "…You'll know soon enough. It's late." He took a short breath and expelled it, then grabbed a pillow from his bed. "I'll be sleeping on the sofa." He said, as he tossed the pillow onto the furniture, before dumping himself onto it. "Night."

"Wait, it's your own home, you sleep on the bed, and I'll take the sofa."

"It's fine. You're the guest."

"Just swap."

"No." Kyuuto yawned. "I'm sleepy. I'm don't wanna move anymore."

"What about the lights?"

"It's right beside you."

"Oh." Seiko laughed softly and flipped the switch. "Good night."

"Night." Kyuuto repeated, testing the word sleepily in his mouth.

"That's one heck of a drawing there." Ayumi glanced up to a smiling Kyuuto. "I'm willing to pay for it." He joked. "Five hundred yen."

"Really? It's worth more. Five thousand yen." Yoshiki added jokingly.

"Yeah right." Ayumi waved her hand dismissively at the two boys.

"Seriously though, it is good." Yoshiki remarked. "Where did you learn to draw, anyway? Art class?"

"Nope," Ayumi said as she continued lining the drawing in a thin black marker carefully. "I used to watch cartoons and I decided to draw my favorite character one day, and I was quite proud of the result, so I continued doing that, till today."

"Cool." Yoshiki said and continued standing there, admiring his crush's drawing, and glancing at her every once in a while, of course.

Kyuuto left them alone, allowing Yoshiki to spend some time with Ayumi. Mayu and Sakutaro were double-checking the required ingredients, Ayumi, drawing, Yoshiki watching her, Satoshi, Naomi, and Seiko were setting up the main stall.

Deciding to help the latter, Kyuuto walked lazily to the group of three, in which Satoshi welcomed his help happily, while Naomi and Seiko did their own jobs quietly, without even talking.

"Oy," Kyuuto sighed. "Just because of what happened yesterday, it didn't degrade your relationship, right? So what's with the awkward atmosphere?" Seiko and Naomi kept silent. Kyuuto frowned, and continued. "Come on, Shinohara knows that Nakashima doesn't feel that way, and even though Nakashima didn't accept the confession, she isn't pissed, right?"

As if to ask for a confirmation, Seiko glanced at Naomi, who nodded back in response.

Walking down school's hallways, Ayumi shuddered as she passed by the school's basement. Stopping, she looked at the closed door, inspecting it closely. Her eyes slowly travelled from the top of the dark brown door to its base, before taking notice of a mix of black and blue strands of hair…or perhaps, fur. _But what kind of animal has blue fur? Or whose hair in this school is blue? Morishige's is blue, but it's a lot darker than this._

"Class rep?" Mayu called softly from her side.

"Ah…? Oh, Suzumoto-san?" Ayumi glanced up to see Mayu and Sakutaro.

"What are you doing?" Sakutaro narrowed his eyes at the strand of blue in between Ayumi's thumb and index finger. "Is this about Orihara?" Sakutaro murmured.

"What?"

"I'm not stupid," he said. "Ever since that time we celebrated Yui-Sensei's birthday, I've been doing research." He paused. "Orihara Kyuuto is not human."

"Erm, Suzumoto is…" Ayumi glanced quickly at the other girl.

"She knows. We did the research together." Sakutaro said. "With Nakashima."

Ayumi sighed. "So now only Shinohara doesn't know."

"She doesn't?"

"Yeah," Ayumi replied. "Although I do suspect that she has her suspicions as well." There was a brief moment of silence. "Are you going to make this public?"

"Hey, I did argue with him, but I still consider myself his friend, so what makes you think I'd do that?" Sakutaro furrowed his brows, upset.

"Sorry," Ayumi said. "So, let's head back to class?"

"I don't know about Mayu, but I'm not going anywhere until you tell me about that strand of blue." Sakutaro folded his arms together.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it's a part of Orihara?" Ayumi whispered, just loud enough for her friends to hear.

"But…there's nothing on him that's blue." Mayu tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Nothing that we can't see." Sakutaro pointed out. "Maybe he's hiding whatever this strand of blue belongs to?"

"Or it just doesn't appear until he… changes?" Mayu said.

"Maybe." Ayumi stared at the strand of blue. "I'll keep this for now."

"Wait, your sister is more knowledgeable about these stuff, right? Maybe you could ask her?" Mayu asked.

"Yeah, but she's also an exorcist," Ayumi shook her head. "She'll try and exorcise Orihara to keep me, no, to keep everyone safe. She's nice, but not to demons."

"Too bad," The cobalt-haired boy sighed. "We'll just have to figure this out ourselves."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Ayumi smiled. "After all, we have Kishinuma-kun, Mochida-kun and Nakashima as well. I'm sure they'll try to help out."

The next two days of the Cultural Festival passed nicely, apart from the occasional mishap. Class 3-9 wasn't the best, but neither were they ranked any lower than the top three. Lunchtime was the busiest time for the class, but they still enjoyed the day just the same.

It was just like last year. Except better.

Now, currently, just like last year, everyone of 3-9's main group were shut in their dark classroom, with raindrops pelting the windows and lightning flashing every once in a while, combined with a yelp from Satoshi.

"Oy, calm down willya?" Yoshiki cocked his head slightly and crossed his arms together, slightly annoyed Satoshi and his whimpers.

"B-but, lightning…wah!" He raised his hands over his head and yelped as another jagged line flashed and tore through the dark sky.

"Satoshi, it's fine, nothing will get you." Ayumi said. "Okay, let's continue!" She exclaimed almost immediately, causing some of her friends to wonder if she did even mean her first sentence.

Continuing her story, she gave a few creepy grins every now and then, intensifying the story to a certain extent. Even Kyuuto, who was a demon, couldn't help but feel at least a little bit of fear every time she did that.

Mayu trembled gently as the story progressed, grabbing onto Sakutaro's arm fearfully. The latter, in turn, bit his lip and tried to cool his warm face, thanking the stars that it was dark and everyone could barely see each other's faces. However, Mayu noticed his body tense up, and smiled.

Satoshi continued his fearful yelps, and everyone managed to ignore it, except Naomi. Even though she had indirectly mocked him earlier about how much of a scaredy-cat he was, she still felt that he deserved some comfort, but had no idea how to ease him at all. In the end, she placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping that he would get the message.

Yoshiki held back a yawn, squinting as tears gathered at the outer edges of his eyes. Not that Ayumi's story was boring, but he was very tired. These two days of work had really left him beat. Leaning back, he supported himself by placing his hand on the ground. He frowned when his left hand felt something warm. Skin, except it was slightly rough, so it definitely wasn't a girl. He couldn't figure out who was sitting beside him, since Seiko had turned off the lights before they had even settled down.

"What the hell," The person beside him grunted. "Yoshiki, what are you trying to do?"

"Ah…? Sorry, who's that?" Yoshiki asked uneasily.

"Don't play dumb," Ayumi stopped her story. "That's Orihara-kun."

"What…?!" Yoshiki yelled and pushed himself back quickly.

"What in mother nature's name were you trying to do?!" Kyuuto yelled and snapped his right hand back. "I'm not interested in guys!"

"I thought–!" Yoshiki began, but stopped when he saw Sakutaro's face. It was dark, but anyone could tell that he wasn't impressed. His cold expression made the atoms around him drop to absolute zero temperatures, but if they were to make him any more upset, he could completely incinerate the atoms around him. "I didn't mean it. I was trying to lean back and then your hand was there and I put it there and before I could figure out who it was you guys told me!"

"Riiiggghhhhttt," Seiko snickered. "I bet you were trying to hit on my Orihara-kun, weren't you?"

"My?" Yoshiki frowned. "I didn't know that he and you were–."

"We aren't," Kyuuto stared at him seriously. "We are only friends. We are not together. And it will stay that way."

"Isn't that kind of harsh?" Satoshi asked as he glanced at Seiko, who was staring at the ground, biting her lower lip. "You like her too, don't you?"

"…" Kyuuto closed his eyes, not wanting to look at his friends. "Look, it's late, let's go home."

"Don't change the subject!" Yoshiki snapped. "I know you like her!"

"So what?" Kyuuto replied coldly.

"So tell her!"

"No, I don't want to get her hopes up."

"Don't think that you can act all high and mighty, just because you are a–!"

"Kishinuma-kun, stop." Ayumi spoke. "Let's just go home."

"But, you know–."

"Please, just stop."

"…Fine." He grumbled.

"Oh, wait," Mayu began. "Shinozaki-san, didn't you say that you wanted us to do something together?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ayumi broke into a smile and dug into her skirt pocket. She pulled out a paper doll. "Remember this? We did it last year!"

"Ohhh," Satoshi smiled. "The Sachiko Ever After charm, right?"

"Yep!" Ayumi nodded. "You guys know what to do!"

"Except me." Kyuuto cocked his head at the paper doll with a curious smile.

"Just grab a part of the doll, and pull. We'll each have a scrap of paper that we have to keep in order to stay together as friends!"

"It's occult stuff," Yoshiki explained. "Just go with it."

"Yeah, I'm planning to," Kyuuto smiled and reached forward to grab onto the doll just like the others.

"Too bad Yui sensei couldn't join us," Mayu spoke while looking worriedly at Seiko as the latter reached out slowly to grab onto the doll.

"She's busy. In a meeting, I think," Ayumi said. "Although it would be nice if Yuka was here." She sighed. "Okay, everyone ready?"

"Yeah," Satoshi nodded on behalf of the rest.

"Okay, on three. One…two…three!" She said and yanked her arm back. The paper charm tore into eight different parts, and a split-second later, lightning flashed in the sky, and Satoshi whimpered once more.

As for Kyuuto, unfamiliar power shot up his arm, triggering his demonic cells. Every cell began to give out their own bits of his power, but the sudden amount of demonic power overwhelmed him, making him stagger weakly and grab his head, before falling back, letting darkness consume his vision and allowing unconsciousness to take over.

* * *

I'm sorry, I took such a long time to update, but even after my exams I was really busy, and I had to rewrite this a few times 'cuz I wasn't proud of it. :c

And, yes, they are going to Tenjin Elementary, without Yui or Yuka. It's not that I don't like them, but rather, I would prefer that I don't have eleven characters to work on. Hope you guys understand. :)

Lucis


End file.
